Innocent Encounter
by laksanabayushiryuu
Summary: AU. Satomi Rio was what you could call a perfect young man. When Shino, his cute little brother, met their new neighbor, the Inukawa twins, a sudden turnover was made into his days. Could he protect his little brother's dignity? Or else, should he worry about himself more?
1. Chapter 1 : The First Encounter

Chapter 1 : The First Encounter

Satomi Rio was what you could call a perfect young man. With a light blond hair and fair skin, plus handsome face he made women (and men) fell on their knees in less than five seconds. A natural-born prodigy, he mastered piano, violin, and cello. His teachers from kindergarten to high school had high expectation on him, saying that he would be future politician like his father. However, never in his life he thought their praises as important. Well, to be exact, there was only one person whose opinion he regarded important.

That person was his little brother.

His cute, tiny, round-eyed little brother : Shino.

If angel really existed in this world, Shino would had been one. Shino was five years younger than Rio. He was an opposite polar of the blonde. While Rio was a calm, reserved, straight faced boy, Shino was loud, carefree, and stubborn. Rio barely showed his smiling face except in front of his family and (if he was in good mood enough) best friend. Shino smiled almost everytime, especially when they had sukiyaki or yakiniku for dinner. Whenever neighbors came to greet the brothers, Rio would only nod without any word while Shino replied in full enthusiasm and asked about their day.

Everybody seemed to love Shino. They would treat him some sweets or nikuman. Sometimes the old ladies from apartment complex nearby would make him special homemade dishes. Shino then would smile happily and hugged them before reaching Rio's slender hand. Rio, being a polite boy, said thank you to the old ladies while letting Shino dragging him all the way home.

Yes, nobody could resist his little brother. Then, Satomi Rio, the big brother would do anything to protect Shino from any form of evil. Heck, he would mercilessly kill every devil in this world only for Shino. Lay your finger on Shino, Rio's definitely crush you into insignificant dust.

.

"Murasameeeeeeeee!"

It was an ordinary morning at Satomi residence. Satomi Akimitsu was reading newspaper and enjoying a cup of tea when his youngest son screamed his lungs out. Not far from him, his wife Himeko was preparing neat-looking bento for two. Akimitsu flinched slightly at the loud voice, but his wife seemed too busy to even think what on earth had happened upstairs. Loud thuds and crashes, followed by heavy footsteps echoed through their house. Ten seconds later, a black-winged bird flew in, almost ran into newspaper, and ended up perching on Himeko's shoulder.

"Shino is bad! Bad!" The bird chirped, rolling its eyes.

"Murasame, get your damn ass here!" Shino stormed into kitchen, almost tripping on his own feet. "Murasame, if you think you can escape this time-"

Akimitsu put his morning newspaper and stared at his son, "Shino, where is your manner?"

"Dad! Murasame ate my snac- Ups!" The boy immediately covered his mouth with both palms. Shit, shit, stupid loud mouth, he cursed.

"Ate your...what, honey?"

Shino shivered from a dark aura emitted behind him. The boy looked over shoulder and found Himeko smiling brightly. "Uhm, Mom?"

"Satomi Shino, what did I say about hiding snacks?"

Shino sweat-dropped.

"Shino is a bad boy! Punish! Punish!" Murasame chirped again. Now, Shino had a sudden urge to turn Murasame into yakitori.

"Well, well, Murasame-chan, you are right," Himeko continued, "Bad boy should be punished. Satomi Shino, I cut all of your allowance for two weeks!"

Shino gasped in horror. She must be kidding! How the hell could he buy the new flavor nikuman with no money! How about the new cakestore near his school? They had just started selling limited-edition chocolate pudding! And...and that also meant he could not afford to go to his yakiniku restaurant this weekend! Just before Shino let any protest, a hand landed on his head. Shino abruptly turned around and saw Rio.

"Why are you looking so upset?" he asked in his usual straight face.

"Mom cut my allowance because Murasame ate my snack!" Shino scowled.

Rio stared at his little brother for seconds. My cute angel looks really upset. Oh my, look at his frown. How cute is that! Oh, how I wish I could help you. No, no, I should set a good example as a brother. The young man threw all his thoughts away from his head and said, "I believe you have learnt your lesson this morning. No hiding snack under your bed again?"

Shino scowled again.

Akimitsu laughed a little. "Your mother is right, Shino. Remember what happened when you ate too much snack last time?"

The youngest member of Satomi household cursed inwardly. He certainly hated those white walls and syringes. "Stupid Murasame," he murmured.

Akimitsu cleared his throat. "Boys, sit down and eat your breakfast. I need to go to my office in fifteen minutes. Shino, I believe you don't want to be late for your first day in high school, hmm? Rio, you have morning class too, right?"

Both sons nodded and reached their seat.

Himeko smiled and resumed her tasks on preparing bento. Murasame had moved from Akimitsu's shoulder to the top of kitchen cabinet. Shino began telling Rio about his new school, and Rio listened to him in serious manner. No matter how chaotic this morning had begun, Himeko saw how happy her family was. Loving husband and two beautiful boys, she could not ask for more.

Suddenly Shino pointed outside, where two moving trucks passed their house. Himeko just remembered they had new family moved in next door today. This neighborhood was certainly going to be more lively.

.

Ding dong ding dong!

Akimitsu raised his eyebrows, guessing who would ring the door bell on breakfast time. He hoped it was not another annoying salesman. The man made a gesture toward Shino, asking him to open the door. Shino only nodded in annoyance-after all, he hated being intterupted during meal time. The boy pushed the intercom button.

.

Satomi Rio was, again, what you could call a perfect young man. He had been going through his life with flying mark on every school subject, attending prestigious university, and bunch of fans flocking around. Not to forget warm family and adorable little brother. Little did he know his peaceful days would crumble into pieces in...

.

Shino stared at two strangers through the small screen that connected to camera on the intercom.

"Good morning," one of them greeted, "My name is Inukawa Sousuke, and this is my twin brother, Ao."

"We just moved next door," another one continued, "Nice to meet you!"

.

...just goddamn five seconds.

.

.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2 : Insecurities

Chapter 2 : Insecurities

Satomi Shino was what you called an average high school student. Well, except for the fact that he was the youngest son of Satomi family. From generations, Satomi was an old family who involved in political world. Most of the family members graduated from the best universities, became the best on their classes, and the best above all the best. Okay, that was quite exaggerating. Anyway, Shino never did care about his family's social status. He simply wanted to be ordinary people. When you said ordinary, if that included not spending your parents money on the best, pricey yakiniku restaurant downtown... Well, one exception would not hurt, right?

Speaking about exception, Shino thought that his case as Satomi's family member was also an exception. Odd. Anomaly. Whatever. He was born from two excellent human-beings. His father had graduated from faculty of law as a top on his year. His mother was music prodigy. Yet, his brain seemed to work on opposite way. One, he hated studying. He hated it to the point that he refused to do his homeworks-which earned some spanking from his mom. Two, he did not understand music. Every time his mom took him to concert, he fell asleep immediately as the performance began. Third, why...why oh why he had such a cute face?! Satomi, again, had produced so many beautiful and handsome children every generations. True, they were cute when they had been children but as they got older, their faces became more mature. For the boys, their facial line became firmer but... Shino remained same as his twelve-year-old self.

He wondered whether he had been cursed.

There were times when he was bullied because of his feminine facial feature. Big eyes, long eyelashes, rosy lips. Heck, even his skin was smoother that any other boys. Shino never told his parents about the bully. He was too embarassed. Somehow he knew Rio had found out his situation long time ago but the older boy pretended to see nothing. Instead, he watched over Shino from far, making sure the boy did not get hurt too far. The bully did end after all. That what Shino loved about his big brother. Rio never invaded his privacy. He never asked too much. If Shino threw any fit and was in bad mood, Rio would stay calm and (if necessary) gathered Shino on his arms.

Rio was gentle. His perfect older brother. Yet, sometimes Shino wondered what would it have felt if he had another brother.

.

The door had swung open, revealing two identical twins standing in front of entrance. They had same black with tint of dark blue hair. They were also quite tall. Shino could not help but stare at those two. He barely saw identical twins before. He believed the one whose name was Sousuke wearing black jeans and white long-sleeved shirt with sky-colored vest. So, the man in deep blue jacket must be Ao.

"Sorry to bother, but we think we need to introduce ourselves before we become neighbor," said Sousuke with a warm smile.

"Yeah, especially if we are your next door," added Ao. He flashed a smile which almost looked like a smirk.

Noticing a lack of respond from the youngest, Sousuke bent over slightly so he was almost eye level with Shino. "May I know your name?" the man asked softly.

Shino startled a little. He had not thought that Sousuke would have been that close too him. Uhm, not close but... Yeah, there was still definitely thirty centimeters gape between their faces. "My name?" Shino hurriedly straightened his body. "I'm Satomi-"

"Shino."

A slightly deep voice cut through the air. The Inukawa twins darted their eyes to a blonde that just came from inner side of house. Shino looked over his shoulder then smiled brightly. "Nii-san, you surprised me!"

Rio only nodded his head. He turned his attetion to two strangers who were standing at his home's entrance. He twitched when he realized one of the strangers was too close to his little brother. 'Wait, why is he bending over Shino?' Put that aside, Rio asked the stranger in jacket, "Can I help you?"

"My name is Inukawa Ao, and this is my twin older brother Sousuke. We just moved next door," the man aswered in one breath.

Sousuke bowed politely. "I hope we did not interrupt your morning."

"Satomi Rio." The blonde bowed. "I see you have met my little brother, Shino."

"Rio-san and...Shino-san." Sousuke repeated the names as he glanced at Shino. The boy glanced back at him but abruptly dropped his view on floor. Sousuke smiled. "We should not bother you any longer so we better excuse ourselves."

Rio nodded again. Did he just see his angelic little brother and one of the twins threw glance at each other? "Pleasure to meet you and welcome to neig-"

"My, my, what a pair of twins we got here!"

The Satomi boys turned around. As expected, their mother was standing there. Her husband was right behind her. "Don't tell me you are our new neighbor," Himeko continued as she approached the twins, "You know what, boys, if you were models-"

"Mom!" Shino growled, "You gonna scare them away!"

The twins raised their eyebrows. Sosuke bowed slightly while Ao just shrugged and smiled sheepishly. Again, they repeated the introduction to Satomi couple. The supposed-to-be short introduction ended up with the Inukawas somehow sat on their dining table. Himeko obviously had taken a like on both boys and insisted them to join for breakfast. Sousuke had tried to refuse politely but only left Akimitsu encouraging them to follow to dining room. Five minutes later, they were chatting while enjoying traditional Japanese breakfast together. Too bad Akimitsu had to leave for office in less than ten minutes.

Rio looked at the clock. "Shino, we must hurry up or we gonna miss the train," he said. The young man stood up to reach his and Shino's bag only to be surprised by Murasame flew passing right on top of his head.

"Wow, easy there, birdie," Ao chuckled. Murasame perched on his shoulder, curiousity filled his tiny eyes. "Hello, my name's Ao."

Murasame cocked his head.

"And I'm Sousuke. We are your new neighbor." The other twin petted Murasame's head.

Shino and Himeko struck in awe, even Rio froze on his place. "You are touching Murasame!" Shino gasped, pointing at Sousuke.

"Uhm...yes?" Sousuke slowly withdrew his hand from Murasame. "Did I..."

"Murasame hate strangers!" Shino said, still gasping.

Ao smirked. "We certainly are not strangers anymore. Right, Murasame?" He moved Murasame into Sousuke's upper right arm. "Your birdie likes us, Shino."

Somehow Shino was still dumbstruck.

Rio frowned. He did not like it when Ao smirked. It was somewhat unpleasant for him. Having two strangers ringing their bell in the morning was enough already. He did not mean to be impolite host but... He sighed inwardly, questioning himself why on earth he got this moody. Satomi Rio was not a moody brat.

"Shino, the time. We. Need. To. Go." Rio's voice had gotten lower than usual.

"Uhm, yeah. My bad, I was spacing..." He looked at Murasame then Sousuke. "...out."

"Have a nice day, boys!" Himeko waved from dining table. "Shino, I expect you to be home right away. No slacking off!"

Shino growled again, muttering under his breath as he followed Rio to front door. He took one last glance at the Inukawa twins. Murasame perched comfortably on Sousuke's wide shoulder now.

.

The train arrived just in time the brothers reached the platform. It was rush hour and people were expected to be squished inside the train. Luckily today, they managed to get near the door. Shino leaned his back on a metal pool. His face buried on Rio's chest. They barely had any space to move because more people stepped inside each time the train stopped at another station. Shino frowned as he felt the man next to him moved slightly. Shino was pushed further to the corner.

"That's why you should let me drive you," Rio said, half whispering, "so you won't turn into squished jelly bean."

Shino glared. "Train is enough, thanks, and I'm not a jelly bean. I told you before that you don't have to take train with me. What are you, my baby sitter?"

"Says the kid who sneaks into my bedroom at night." Rio shrugged.

"What the hell! I don't sneak!"

"Oh, yes, nowadays you knock."

Shino threw deadly glare once more. There was another push from crowd. Shino hissed as a metal pole pressed into his spine. Damn rush hour! Seeing his little brother struggled to get a hold, Rio put his hands on Shino's back so the boy's sore back now rested on his palms.

The rest of their train ride was spent by listening to announcement on audio speaker.

"You know..." Shino broke the silence, "I think they kinda nice."

"Who?"

"The Inukawa twins, replied the younger one, "It's gonna be nice if we get along together. Who knows. Besides, I would love to experience what it's like to have someone like older brother figure other than you."

Another stop and more people came in. Shino deliberately moved closer onto his brother. Burying his nose on Rio's chest, he could smell the aroma of light cologne. It was soothing. Meanwhile, Rio rested his chin on Shino's head. If the train had not been this crowded, Rio would have needed to find another way to hide his expression right now.

Rio took a deep breath. No. Shino would not leave him.

.

.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3 : Will You Come to My House?

Chapter 3 : Will You Come to My House?

Shino was half-sleeping before lunch break. The Japanese history's teacher was talking in front of classroom, explaining about what they would study in her class. The teacher had a thin, small body. Her straight black hair was tied neatly on behind. She wore thick eyeglasses, and somehow developed habit to adjust her glasses almost every seven minutes. Shino turned his head and looked throughout the window. His school was the oldest, prestigious private school in this city. The complex was huge with elementary to high school buildings-each separated by red bricked walls. His dad and big brother had spent their twelve years education here. It was only natural that Shino also put into the very same school.

He almost could not bear his sleepiness anymore when the lunch break bell rang. As soon as the teacher left the class, Shino grabbed his bento box. Other student began moving to school cafetaria. Those who brought the bento like him decided to either stay at the classroom or find some comfortable seat at school western styled garden. Shino himself chose the second option. He quickly made way to wooden bench near a pond, relieved that no one had taken the seat.

"Shino!" The petite boy heard someone called his name. He looked to his right and saw a boy with blond hair similar to Rio waved gleefully. The boy was slightly taller than Shino but they had the same small frame.

Shino returned the enthusiasm with equally radiant smile. "Shinobu!"

Inue Shinobu encircled his arms around Shino's shoulders. "Finally my little kouhai made it to high school!"

Shino scowled at the words. "Did you think I would not pass the entrance exam?!"

"It was a miracle you passed the entrance exam," Shinobu teased, "considering you spent a lot more time on eating snack than studying."

"What the hell!"

Shinobu laughed. "Hey, watch your mouth! I'm your senpai after all," he said then took a seat beside the Satomi boy, "So, how's your first day as high school student?"

Shino rolled his eyes on the topic. Well, he studied here since elementary school, so did most of other students. It was an escalated school even though there was still entrance examination-to ensure the students would not slack off and maintain their high standard. So, his first day in high school felt just the same as before. He did not have to make any introduction because he had known his classmates since elementary days.

"Okay, I guess?" Shino replied, shrugging, "Nothing excited. Nothing extraordinary. Nothing special... Oh, except this morning!"

"What happened this morning?"

"Well... We got new neighbor this morning-a pair of twins named Inukawa Sousuke and Ao if I remember correctly. They came for introduction to my family this morning...and you know my mom right? She deliberately invited them to join breakfast. Then..." Shino continued telling this morning's story to Shinobu and came to the point when Murasame had perched on the twins' shoulders.

Shinobu blinked. "What! It took almost a year for Murasame to like me. After countless biscuits and fruits..."

"See, even Nii-san was surprised."

"Rio-san was?"

Shino nodded, then Shinobu could only give another blink. Satomi Rio was rarely surprised. Even if the sky suddenly went crumbling, Rio with no doubt would stay calm. Perhaps he would sit on armchair and read his favorite eastern philosophy book. Shinobu laughed inwardly as he remembered how different the Satomi brothers were.

"I think Murasame had nice first impression on the twins," Shinobu chuckled.

The younger of the two smiled. Shinobu was in elementary fourth year when a teacher introduced him to Shino. The blond boy had been a transfer student that time, and really shy. He often avoided any other student and hid himself away. The teachers had been worried about the boy's social life and decided to make Shino befriended him. True, Shino, even though he was younger than him by three years, became a positive influence. Since then, the boys were best friends.

"They look nice, though," said Shino as he opened the bento box.

"You mean the twins?"

"Yup, who else."

Shinobi raised an eyebrow. "You seems...interested with them."

"It's been a while since we had new neighbor. Besides, most people in my neighborhoods are elderly. It's just...interesting when you get pair of twins next door."

Mischevous smile came across Shinobu's face. "Ne, Shino," he said, "Be careful. Don't make your dear brother jealous."

Shino did not hear Shinobu's last sentence because he was busy eating his bento. Shinobu chuckled for second time before joining Shino for lunch. They talked about anything from high school club to reality show. Both boys got back to their own class five minutes before the break over. When Shino reached his class, a soft vibrate came from his cell phone. There was one e-mail from Rio.

/will be back late, don't forget to eat dinner/

Too bad. He was thinking to ask Rio to take him to a bakery that just opened twp days ago near station. Oh, crap, he forgot that he had no money now since his mother cut all allowance. Damn Murasame. He would make sure the black bird get the hard lesson.

.

"Aimai na taido de itsumo..."

Rio tries to ignore the croaked singing voice from behind.

"...kimi wa chikazuite kuru kedooooo."

Ok, he needed to finish re-checking this journal article before next class.

"Mou owari ni shite saa...hajimeyou..."

The voice grew closer and closer, now he could sense another person's presence. A hand grabbed his sleeve, twirling his body that had been seated on plastic chair around. Then another hand pressed on his chest, right above his heart.

"...take off your clothes noooooow." (1)

Rio twitched. The girls sitting on the next desk giggled in amusement. Some people who shared the study space just shook their head and tried not to make any comment on that singing person's antic.

"If you want to sing, go to karaoke place nearby. This is library. You are supposed to be quiet, Kaname." Rio said in monotone but it was obvious he felt annoyed.

The young man named Kaname grinned playfully. "I could not help but let people hear my beautiful voice. Besides, this is special study group space that allow people to make noises. What do you think that soundproofed wall and glass for?" He threw his hands on the air, sighing. "Rio, Rio, Rio... You need to take a break from studying for a while."

"Why is that?"

"Don't you know your mom has been telling me about your lack interest on dating? Because you concentrate only on studying? Well, that's why as a cousin I will invite you to goukon tonight," Kaname answered while flashing his prince-charming smile, "And you have no right to decline."

Osaki Kaname, Rio's cousin from maternal side was probably the only one who could talk like that to him. He and Rio attended same university. While Rio studied law, Kaname picked up international politics as his major. Both faculties shared the same building and library, making them easily ran into each other. Mostly, it was Kaname who looked for him either during break or after class had finished.

"I am too busy to go to such useless so-called drinking party," Rio stated, "I should review some journals and documents for my professor. Now, you better go before I kick you out."

"Moody, eh?" Kaname laughed, waving his hand in front of Rio's face.

Rio twitched again. He had had enough this morning with the twins' presence during breakfast. Now, he had to face the loud Kaname? Gosh, why did they become cousin on the first place...

"You can't be like this forever, Rio!" Kaname continued, "Stop studying, get a life! I don't wanna you die as virgin!"

"Kaname..." Rio let a warning growl.

However, Kaname ignored his cousin completely. "This time I'm serious, Rio. You. Need. To. Get. Laid."

Rio put his earphones and turned the iPod volume into max.

.

As soon as the bell rang, Shino stepped out of his classroom. He met Shinobu by the gate and walked together to station. They always went home together since the first day they met. Shinobu lived one station away from Shino's place. Shino had been going to the boy's apartment, especially during weekend and vacation. Satomi household was also already used to Shino and Shinobu's sleepover tradition. After Shinobu got off on his stop, Shino found himself spacing out. His eyes gazed through the view of the city from train window. It was one if the reason why he prefer to take the train instead letting his brother drive him to school. He loved looking at the scenery. Rows of rooftops, streets, and electric cables. He loved observing people walking down the street and interacting to each other. Somehow those things made him felt more alive. He did not need to be greeted by every person he met. He only needed to confirm himself that he was not the only human-being living on this planet earth.

From station, Shino walked around ten minutes until he reached home. He suddenly halted in his step when he found a tall man was standing in front of the gate. Inukawa Sousuke had Murasame on top of his head. Shino tried to surpress his laugh. Indeed, Murasame had taken a like on the twins. Shino had no idea how Murasame was outside but he would get the reason soon.

"Konnichiwa, Sousuke-san," Shino greeted.

Sousuke was taken aback by the greeting. He did not notice that the smile boy already standing not far from him. Murasame flapped his wings and flew toward Shino. Sousuke smiled sheepishly, looking at Shino then the bird. "Hello there, uhm Shino-san," Sousuke replied, "I found your bird hanging out at my garden."

"Heee...Murasame, how the heck you could get out?" Shino smirked at his pet. "Sousuke-san, thank you for taking care Murasame."

"You're welcome, Shino-san. Oh, by the way, your mother is not home. She told me that she is going to accompany your father to some party."

Shino wrinkled his forehead. "How did you know?"

Sousuke took out his cell phone and showed an e-mail sent by, obvioulsy, Himeko. The small boy frowned on the fact that his mom already exchanged e-mail address with their new neighbor. "I guess tonight will be only me and Murasame," Shino muttered.

"Would you like to come to my house?"

"Huh?" Shino was bewildered

"Your mom invited me and Ao for breakfast. So...I was thinking to invite you and Rio-san for some tea."

Shino's eyes began sparkling. "Will there be cookies or cake?"

"Ao praised my baking skill." Sousuke smiled politely. He was dragged by Shino two seconds later. Murasame flew ahead.

.

.

tbc

(1) Kaname was singing 'Naked Night' by Matsuhita Yuya. Find his music video on Youtube :)


	4. Chapter 4 : Will You be My Model?

Chapter 4 : Will You be My Model?

The Inukawa residence was a traditional, Japanese house with dark wooden gate. Long before Shino's dad had decided to build their new home in this neighborhood, the house that Inukawa family lived now had been there for a while. The house had been empty for long time. The neighborhood council said that no one ever entered the house. The gate had been locked all the time.

Sousuke opened the door for the boy and his pet. In contrast with Shino's western style house, the front door was, of course, consisted of sliding door and stoned floor with beautifully carved traditional lantern hanging on the wall next to the door. Shino faced a long corridor before his eyes. It seemed that the Inukawa twins had not unpacked all of their stuffs yet. He could still see some boxes here and there.

"Sorry, it's a bit messy," Sousuke said.

"Nah, that's okay. You guys just moved this morning." Shino stared at the traditional Japanese painting hanging on the wall. The painting showed a beautiful wisteria flower blooming at a place that looked like a garden of Buddhist temple. Yup, definitely. Shino caught a small detail of pagoda roof on the far, upper right corner. The boy smirked. Inukawa family sure had a good taste on art.

While Shino was busy observing the painting, Sousuke opened the first sliding door at right side of corridor. "You can wait here, Shino-san. I'm going to get some tea and cake from kitchen."

Hearing the word 'cake', Shino brightened up. He obidiently sat down on the tatami mat with Murasame perching on top of his head. "Your twin isn't here?" Shino asked

"No. Unfortunately he has some things to do," Sousuke answered, "Please wait for a moment."

Sousuke's tall figure vanished behind the sliding door. His footsteps gradually faded away. Shino looked at his surrounding-ordinary Japanese style living room with nothing but wooden low table and television on the right side. Soon, Shino got bored. It was not even five minutes since Sousuke had left. He knew it was rude of him to think the house was too dull and quiet. The boy began dozing off.

"Shino! Shino!"

Murasame's high pitch voice snapped Shino's eyes open. "What?"

"Tree! Tree! Want tree!"

Shino heaved a sigh. Murasame could be such a pain in ass. Like Shino, Murasame did not like staying at the same place too long. He got bored easiy. Shino wondered whether his encounter with Murasame six years ago had been inevitable. The boy opened a glass door that connected the room with veranda. Murasame quickly flapped his wings and flew to the nearest tree.

Being left alone inside tatami room, Shino decided to take a little tour around the house. This place actually was bigger than his. Long corridors. Rows of sliding doors. Outside, huge traditional garden with small pond and decorated stones. It even had storage bulding seperated from main house building. There was also small gate connected to another side of garden. Shino bet it led to tea house-he had seen similar pattern at his grandparents' place.

Man, the Inukawas was very rich.

After a walk around garden, Shino came inside. Sousuke was still nowhere to be seen. "Hmm, guess I'll just make my legs more useful," the boy hummed and began another tour around the house. This time he decided to find kitchen, where Sousuke most probably was. When he walked down the corridor, he caught a glimpse of slighty ajar sliding door. Shino raised an eyebrow before took a peek inside.

What Shino found seconds later amazed him. The room filled with so many paintings. Both Japanese and western style ones. Boxes of colorful inks and brushes were placed on a low table. Piles of canvas at the other side. Sketch books were arranged neatly at bookshelf. An easel stood not far away from it. Two cameras, along with its lenses, planced inside glassed cabinet. Shino held his breath as he studied each painting carefully. His eyes dropped on a western style painting showing a beautiful black haired woman holding two babies. The woman's expression was very serene.

"That's our mother."

Shino shrieked. He had no idea how long Inukawa Sousuke had been there. The said man peered over Shino's petite shoulders. He swore he could feel Sousuke's ticklish breaths on his nape. The youngest Satomi was so taken aback that he tripped on his own feet. Fortunately, Sousuke caught his arm.

"Are you alright, Shino-san?" Sousuke asked in concern.

Shino felt a hot wave hit his cheeks. "Uhm, yeah... Uhm..."

"I was thinking that you have gone back home." Sousuke said and released Shino's arm-much of Shino's dissapointment...wait what?

Shino groaned inwardly at his stupid thoughts. "Well, I got bored and decided to take a look around your house. Sorry."

However, Sousuke only laughed softly. "No, no. It was my fault leaving my guest alone. I'm so sorry, Shino-san. I got phone call from my relative and caught in a long conversation. She would not hung up."

"Oh, I see." Then...silence. Shino scratched his head, looked up to meet Sousuke's eyes. "Hmm...so are you a painter?"

"My major is Japanese painting."

"Huh? You are a...college student?"

Sousuke nodded.

"I thought he's older," Shino muttered in small voice but somehow clear enough to be heard. When he saw Sousuke's amused face, Shino frowned slightly. "So, you are...what? Twenty something?"

"Twenty two, to be exact."

Only a year older than his nii-san?! Gosh, this Sousuke was full of surprise. "So, you are twenty two and majoring in Japanese painting. Are all these yours?" Shino scanned the room, pointing at several paintings.

"All paintings in this house are my works...like that one in the entrance," Sousuke answered politely, trying not to look as if he was showing off.

"Wow, that's super cool! I thought that painting was done by professional. Your work is as good as one. You must be very talented!" Shino grinned widely.

Sousuke never expected that kind of reaction from the boy. "Shino-san, this morning your mother told me you have just entered high school. Where is it?"

The conversation went smoothly after that.

.

Rio pushed the pile of documents into far corner. There were about three documents left to be re-checked. He was sitting on the desk in his professor's office when the clock read seven past ten. His professor had gone to meet another faculty staff. Rio leaned back, wondering whether Shino already had dinner or not. Every time Rio noticed how Shino seemed never gain any more weight, he always tried to find whether the boy was doing proper diet or not.

'Stop studying, get a life.'

Why on earth he suddenly remembered those stupid line from his idiotic cousin?

The young man frowned. True, he had been spending so much times on studying. People had high expectation on him, including his parents. Well, they never demanded him to always get good marks but... Again, the Satomis must be excellent right? If Rio wanted to follow his father's step as politician, he needed to plan it in perfect way.

'You need to get laid.'

Dammit Kaname.

He did not need to get laid. The idea of him dating a girl was out of question now. Besides, he could not stand their squeking, high pitch voice or their trying-to-be-cute pouting. Hmph, his Shino was far cuter than those crazy girls!

Speaking of Shino, Rio decided to send his little brother an e-mail.

/Have you eaten yet?/

The reply surprisingly came fast. Shino probably had his cell phone on hand. /I'm actually eating dinner at Sousuke's place now. Mom is with dad at some party./

Rio's facial expression was still calm when he read first words but it swiftly changed into pure horror-if twitching five times in a row could be counted as horror-when he read Sousuke's name. Sousuke's place? Dear kami-sama of Japan, why was Shino with their new neighbor on the first place?! Wait! Sousuke? Why did Shino call the man without honorific suffix anymore?

/Dinner with Sousuke-san?/ Rio typed furiously on his smart phone. /Don't cause him so much trouble, Shino./

Another reply. /He's the one who invited me./

That's it! He had noticed it vaguely how one of the Inukawa twins had laid an interest on Shino. Rio recalled the scene when he had seen Sousuke bending over to meet Shino's eye level. How he had smiled gently at the boy. How he had easily won Shino's heart by befriending Murasame. 'What a low human-beings,' Rio growled inwardly, 'using a mere pet as a tool to attract my angel's attention.'

Rio snatched a piece of yellow post-it and wrote a short note for his professor, telling him he needed to be at home immediately. Family emergency, Rio wrote down. He promised to drop all finished documents by tomorrow morning. Shoving all his stuff into his bag, Rio stepped out of the office like a madman.

.

"So tired..."

Inukawa Ao dragged his feet all the way from station to his home. He ran his fingers onto his dark blue hair. Today was definitely not one of his favorite. This morning he and Sousuke moved to a house they had never seen in their life before. Freaking huge house with layers of dust here and there. He predicted that they would spend a week only to clean the entire house. Until this noon, thanks to Sousuke's dilligence, they had managed to clean half of first floor. However, around two hours later, unexpected things happened and he was summoned by so-called relatives to another freaking huge mansion.

Ao inhaled the spring air deeply as he reached the house gate.

"Oi, Sou, I'm home," he greeted, sliding open the front door. Finding his twin not answering, Ao paid attention to a pair of much smaller shoes at the entrance stoned floor. A guest? The young man walked down the corridor and finally heard two laughing voices coming from Sousuke's studio room.

The sliding door was opened. Ao halted on his step when Sousuke asked his guestin such gentle tone, "Would you be my model, Shino?"

.

.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5 : This Color Suits You

Chapter 5 : This Color Suits You

Seeing how excited Shino was when observing the paintings, Sousuke decided to bring their tea and sweets to studio room. He put the tray on wooden floor, serving tea to Shino's cup when Shino began rummaging through boxes. Sousuke was pleased. Never before he had seen a high school boy was so into paintings. Murasame had joined them a while ago, now perching on Shino's head with eyes staring at bottles of colorful paints.

"Would you like to have your tea now, Shino-san?" asked Sousuke as he lift a tea cup up.

"Sure! Thanks!" He reached for the cup and sipped a little. "Darjeeling."

Sousuke raised his eyebrows. "Not only you are interested in painting, you also know about tea?"

"Mom loves tea," he said, shrugging, "Since I was little, mom has been collecting tea from all around the world. And my grandparents enjoy traditional arts. They have a lot of old collection at their house, so...yeah I know a little about traditional paintings."

Sousuke nodded at the explanation. Satomi family was a famous name in this metropolitian city. If he was not mistaken, some of the family members had made it into major political party-no wonder Satomi Akimitsu was a city council member himself. He had thought Shino would have been a stereotyped politician's child-polite and reserved-but Shino was far from that. He certainly knew his manner but he was more carefree and cheerful with those rounded eyes which always glinted in curiosity.

Shino bit his chocolate cookie. The chocolate was melting in his mouth. "Gosh, this is so good! Did you make it by yourself?"

"Yes," replied the older man.

"Cool! You gotta come to my home and teach mom baking. She's so horrible that even Dad always makes excuse not eating her cookies." The boy bit another cookie and resumed his rummage on box of paints.

Sousuke kneeled beside him, taking a paint bottle randomly. "What is your favorite color, Shino-san?" he asked.

"Uhm, I think none." Shino said, scratching his headside. "I mean, I never consider anything as my favorite because every color is pretty."

Sousuke smiled. "Do you know that every color has its own name? Not only white, black, red, yellow... There are so much more if you notice. For example..." He put the bottle he had held before on Shino's palm. "What color do you think is it?"

"Grey, of course," the boy replied immediately.

"And this?" Sousuke took another bottle from the box.

Shino stared at the clear bottle for moment. He frowned. "Grey."

Sousuke put the second grey onto Shino's free palm. He slowly made the boy lift both hands so the bottles were on his eye level. "Both are grey, yes, but they have name. The one on your left is called 'lead-color' while the other one is 'dull-color'."

"It is dull." Shino smirked.

The man laughed slightly. "People often use those kind of names in kimono industry. They mostly associate colors with nature. Instead pale pink, they go with 'sakura-color'. Light brown is 'hazelnut-color', dark green is 'moss-color', and so on."

The boy beside him hummed, "Interesting... I did not know that before."

Sousuke put the two bottles away. He then took a purple-colored one out. "I think this color suits you."

Shino stared at the bottle of light, almost-bluish purple.

"It's called 'edo-purple'. It goes well with your hair color." Unconsciously, he touched Shino's silky, purplish strands. "I wonder how you look if you grow your hair longer."

"Well, I did have one when I was..." Shino turned his face. He quickly realized how close Sousuke's face to his. A sudden movement from Shino made Sousuke's larger hand bumped softly into his cheek. "...uhm, when I was...kid." Shino gulped, continuing his sentence.

Sousuke was taken aback when he saw Shino's cheeks turned red. He abruptly pulled his hand and dropped it on his side. Shino chewed his lower lips, trying to grin but failed to do so. The boy ended up staring at the floor, making his mind busy by...by whatever it was. Sousuke pretended to check his wristwatch and mumbled how time had flown so fast. Murasame, who had been perching on Shino, cocked his head as if questioning why the room suddenly grew quiet.

"It's almost dinner time," Sousuke broke the silence between them, "Would you like to have dinner here too?"

"Huh? Dinner? Oh, yeah, I'll have here...if it uhm doesn't bother you."

Sousuke smiled. "No, you don't but I need your help in kitchen, Shino-san."

Shino nodded. He hurriedly followed Sousuke who had picked the tray up then walked to kitchen. "You know, you can drop the '-san'," Shino said when they were at corridor, "It's weird to have someone older speak in such manner to me."

"Well, how should I address you?" Sousuke replied.

Again, such politeness. "Just 'Shino's fine."

"You can call me Sousuke, then." The man smiled. "We are not strangers anymore, aren't we?"

"Deal!" Shino grinned.

The kitchen was unexpectedly very neat. It seemed that the twins had make this part of house as their first priority to be cleaned up. The floor was free of dust. Plates and glasses were arranged inside cupboards. The fridge was already filled up. Sousuke began preparing some meats and vegetable with Shino's help. Somehow, Shino found Sousuke's presence comforting. Everything went natural around him, as if they were childhood friends.

When they were about to enjoy the meal, Shino got an e-mail from Rio asking him whether he had already eaten. Good timing, he thought. The boy almost forgot to tell his whereabouts to his brother. He did not want Rio to scold him because he left home unnoticed.

After dinner, they went back to studio. Shino laid on his stomach, scanning pages of random art magazine. Sousuke sat not far away from him, leaning on the wall. Shino would occasionally make small conversation about his new school and Sousuke would listen to him intently. Sousuke laughed slightly when Shino told him one of his pranks during junior high.

"So, in the end your father thought it was Murasame's fault?" Sousuke asked when Shino had finished his story.

"Yup! But he couldn't get mad at Murasame, because he's only a bird," Shino laughed, petting Murasame's head, "The joy of being a pet, eh, Murasame?"

The bird cocked his head.

Sousuke chuckled. "You have such interesting family, Shino. Oh, I wonder where your brother is now..."

"He's still at campus, probably working on complicated papers with some genius professors," he answered, "They say Nii-san is super smart."

"Too bad he cannot join us this evening."

Shino nodded then took another art magazine from its pile.

"Say..." Sousuke cleared his throat. "Would you like to be my model, Shino?"

In second, Shino looked up from the magazine. He definitely was surprised. "Model? You mean...model as in posing for your painting?"

Sousuke nodded. "Well, I have final project to do this year. I've been thinking since months ago what kind of painting should I have and... You know, it just occurs to me that I would like to draw you, Shino."

Shino was stunned. He almost lost on his thoughts. Him? Modelling for a man he just had met this morning? That sounded crazy, but... "Hmm, I don't mind."

"Great." Sousuke smiled, this time his eyes were softened. "I'll tell you the detail later but...really, thank you. I do appreciate it."

The boy could not help but smile back. "Maybe we should exchange e-mail add-"

"Hello there, little one. Good evening." A familiar voice cut in. Sousuke and Shino jolted in surprise. They saw Ao leaning on door frame, crossing his arms on chest. Ao smirked at his twin, then glanced at Shino. Shino swore the man was snickering. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"Dinner," Sousuke answered swiftly, "I guess you haven't had dinner, right? Let me reheat the leftover." He stood up and excused himself to Shino, gesturing that he was sorry because the conversation had to end.

Shino, in return, only shrugged. He averted his eyes to another older man. Sousuke and Ao were certainly identical twins. They had same features from eyes to hair color. From height to big palms. The difference only laid on their haircut. Sousuke's hair was cut short and neat. Ao seemed to prefer to have his hair a bit messy with longer bangs.

"I see you have nice time with my big bro here," said Ao, smirking-again.

The younger of two narrowed his eyes. Another difference to note: Sousuke smiled, Ao smirked. "We had tea and dinner together." Shino replied cautiously. He still tried to guess what kind of man Ao was.

"Great. Did he show you his paintings too?"

"Yeah..." Shino rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of door bell. It looked like the guest had been pushing the bell non-stop. Ignoring the intercom, Ao opened the front door then moved to the gate. As the door opened, he saw a glimpse of blond hair shone under streetlight. The blonde looked at the man with a serious frown on his face. Ao did not make any sound for a moment, letting his eyes travelled on the slim figure.

"Good evening," Rio greeted while bowing in such formality, "I am sorry for the late visit but I do believe my little brother is here."

Ao was about to reply when Shino came from his behind. "Nii-san! I know it's you! Finished with all the tasks from your professor?"

"Yes. I come to pick you up, Shino. Let's go home before mom and dad back." Rio let a small smile when he saw how happy his brother was. "You're still wearing uniform. Where's your bag?"

"Inside. Wait a sec, Nii-san!" The youngest dissapeared from their sight. When he came back, Sousuke was also behind him. Sousuke bent down and whispered something on Shino's ear, making the boy giggled.

Ao felt a dark aura emitted around the blonde. Well, well, things were getting interesting, he smirked.

.

.

tbc

* for more information about Japanese colors, please open: kidorakujapan know / others_color . html (erase the space)

...and thank you for the reviews! :)


	6. Chapter 6 : The First Train Ride

Chapter 6 : The First Train Ride

Shino was laying on his back. The tatami floor was hard but he did not care as he got distracted by Sousuke's sudden movement. A large palm made its way under Shino's t-shirt, teasing the surface of Shino's slightly tanned skin. Shino heard Sousuke's murmur every time the man place butterfly kiss on his stomach. Shino gasped. It was a mix between nervousness and delight. He could not hold his voice anymore and whimpered, "Don't...ngh, don't tease...ah Sou...suke."

"Do you feel good, Shino?" Sousuke sighed and continued kissing the younger's stomach. He went down and down. Slowly. Carefully. Gently. Earning more moans and whimpers from Shino. He then captured Shino's plumped lips with his own. Waiting patiently yet eagerly for Shino to let his tongue slip in. Much to Sousuke's surprise, Shino broke their kiss.

"I can't, Sou... We should not do it here...because..." Shino's small index finger pointed at corner of the room. "Because Nii-san is here..."

* * *

Rio jerked awake from his deep slumber. A cold sweat formed on his forehead. He looked around and found himself sitting on bed. His own bed. His own room, not in some random tatami floored room. Rio felt his stomach clenched tightly. He abruptly left his bedroom and went to Shino's room where the boy was sleeping soundly. Yes, it had been a nightmare. There was no way Rio would see Shino kissing with that bastard before his eyes.

"...Nii?" Shino stirred on his bed, his head poked out of comforter. "What time...? Why here?" He obviously was still half-asleep.

The older brother approached the bed and patted Shino's head. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

Shino nodded slightly. "Hmm, but that's okay. Night, Nii Nii..."

Rio held his breath when Shino called him 'Nii Nii'. It had been a while since the boy called him in such childish way. When Shino was a kid, he would have followed his brother everywhere, demanding Rio to be with him all the time. Rio had been used to stay at home during weekend to accompany Shino. Sometimes Kaname would come, bringing sweet treats and picture books for Shino. Rio smiled at the memory. Who would have thought his cheerful little brother had been such a frail kid before?

When the sun was finally up, once again the Satomi household filled with loud noises. Mostly came from Shino and Murasame. This time, Shino had forgotten to do his homework, resulting on minor panic attack. Murasame, being oblivious with current situation, kept flying inside Shino's room and demanding the boy to feed him some biscuits. The bird cried, "Shino bad! Not homework! Homework!"

"Shut the fuck up, Murasame!" Shino yelled as he scribbled down on his homework.

"Shino, watch your language. No pudding tonight!" Himeko yelled from downstairs.

"But Mom!"

"Shino, get downstairs or you are going to be late," his dad's voice cut in, "Or should I drive you to school?"

Shino gasped as he realized what time it was now. He decided to continue working on his English homework later. Thank god English was not on early periods so he could do the homework during lunch break. Shino grabbed his bag and ran downstairs where Rio had been waiting at entrance. The older man gave a quick glance on how messy Shino looked. His shirt was wrinkled. The tie was still hanging loosely on his neck, while the poor blazer was dragged over.

As they stepped outside, Rio tried to fix Shino's uniform. "How old are you that you still need someone to tie-"

"Good morning you two." The Satomi brothers turned their head on the same time. Rio growled inwardly when he saw the Inukawa twins stood not far away from them.

"Good morning, Sousuke!" Shino greeted cheerfully, not noticing a twitch on his brother's face, "Are you going out?"

Just before Sousuke could answer, Ao said, "Only Sou got your greeting? How mean, I was the one who greet you first."

"Ao, stop teasing Shino," Sousuke sighed, patting his twin's back lightly then smiled at the Satomi boys. "Good morning, Shino, Rio-san."

Rio bowed slightly even though he was annoyed by how Ao acted as if he had close relationship with Shino. Moreover, why on earth they have to met Inukawa Sousuke now, when he had just had nightmare about the man molesting his adorable little brother?! Of course Rio tried to put his usual poker face. Inside, he screamed at the twins to get the hell out of his sight.

"...Nii-san, can we go now?" Shino asked, "Why are you so quiet?"

"I was thinking-"

"Ne, Sousuke! Do you know about this cool bakery..."

Rio cursed. He would have killed Sousuke if Shino was not here or, to be exact, standing side by side with that damned man. The four of them began walking to the station. Shino and Sousuke were on the front, leaving Rio with Ao behind. While their brothers seemed to engage in nice conversation, Rio and Ao said nothing at all. This was the worst morning ever, Rio noted.

Too bad his worst would not end that quickly. It turned out that the Inukawa twins rode the same train with them. Three young men and a high school boy were cornered by merciless rush hour. Shino was squished between Ao and Sousuke. Rio was leaning against the wall, Ao's body almost pressed against him. With Ao's tall body blocking his view, Rio could not see Shino at all. But he became alerted every time more passangers stepping into the train. He worried Shino would get crushed.

"Shino, are you alright?" Rio heard Sousuke's voice and immediately wanted to shove Ao out of his way. "Are you sure? Ah, me too." A chukle. "I don't really like rush hour. It's better to put your hand here. Yes. No, no, I don't mind if you lean on me."

Rio fought hard not to grit his teeth. He swore in the name of millions Shinto gods, if Sousuke touched Shino in certain area-

"They look cozy, don't they?" Ao's voice interrupted the blonde's thoughts. He bent forward and pressed his right palm on the wall little bit above Rio's shoulder. "Your little brother is really cute, by the way," Ao continued as if he did not notice Rio's glare, "Hmm, I wonder if they-"

"Shall we not discuss this matter?" Rio asked, almost growling. No, he would not let himself lose his composure. Calm down. Take a breath.

In the other hand, Ao just smirked right when the train halted on one stop.

"My stop," Shino said, stealing both Rio and Ao's attention, "Let's have another morning ride together again, Sousuke, Ao! See you, Nii-san!"

Sousuke and Ao waved at Shino when the boy got off while Rio just nodded as usual. The rest of the ride was a complete silent. No one tried to make conversation until Ao said, "Oi, Sou, it's your stop."

Sousuke looked out through the window, just seconds before the train stopped. The dark haired man smiled at his twin and Rio. "I'm getting off. See you again, Rio-san."

"Take care, Aniki." Ao smirked.

When the train door slid close, Rio sat down on the-finally-empty seat. He ignored Ao's presence completely and did not feel bothered as the taller man took a seat beside him. The train left the station slowly. More and more people got off on the next stop.

"Where's your stop?" Ao asked.

"Next one," answered Rio without even glancing at his conversation partner.

Ao knew there was one of prestigious national university's campus area on the next stop. "I bet you are very smart, then," he concluded, "Don't tell me you are in law major."

Rio had his eyes fixed on the window opposite their seats. He did not in the mood to have small, meaningless conversation especially with annoying man like Ao. Stupid morning, Rio murmured under his breath.

Meanwhile, Ao raised an eyebrow and smirked. Well, well...this Satomi boy is even more amusing to tease than the other one.

.

Osaki Kaname was simply happy by the fact he had decided to take 'Japan and regionalism' course. The assignments were not that difficult and the professor was such a hottie. Now he had learnt why his seniors had recommended the course. Kaname entered the study space in library to take his lunch break nap. As he had expected, Rio was there too, sitting on the desk. He seemed to be engrossed on his reading.

"Aimai na taidou-"

"Kaname, sing that song once again, I swear to heaven I'll tell Aunt about your porn collection," Rio said in serious tone.

Kaname pouted. "Hmm, someone is very grumpy here. Did you have a bad one night stand?"

Now, Rio threw him a deadly glare. The girls on the next desk gasped in horror but then bursted into giggles. Great, Rio groaned inwardly.

"Well?" Kaname asked and sat down. He spunned on his chair.

"Well what?" Rio slipped the journal article into a clear map. He opened the corporate law book, marking some pages with blue post-it. Hearing nothing from Kaname, he looked up and stared at his cousin, "Speak, Kaname."

"Geez, so demanding... Rio, why don't you just relax a bit? I was going to ask what happened this morning since you're really grumpy. And don't you ever lie to me. I've known you for ages. Something certainly did happen, eh?"

Rio sighed.

"See, you sighed!"

"We got new neighbor yesterday," The blonde began.

.

Fifteen minutes later, Rio finished telling Kaname about the whole situation-minus the nightmare-and both young men now stood before a vending machine located near library building. Kaname pushed a button and a can of café latte came out. He bent down to get his coffee, glancing over his shoulders a little to take a look at Rio. The law student had already opened his coffee can.

"You know what, Rio," Kaname spoke up, "You are overreacting. This Sousuke guy probably is just trying to be nice as new neighbor. Besides, Shino is cute so no wonder people will treat him special."

Rio huffed. "You must see him by yourself then you'll understand."

The bell for the fifth period rang.

"I have to go back to library," said Rio. He threw the empty can to nearest garbage bin and walked away.

Kaname stayed still for a while before scratching his head and mumbled, "Heck, not even 'thanks for listening'? Hmmm, you never change, Rio." He gulped down the café latte, recalling Rio's story about the Inukawa twins. A wide grin suddenly formed on his face. If Rio had suggested something about seeing them by himself then...

Oh, this weekend would be so much fun.

.

.

tbc


	7. Chapter 7:Here Comes The New James Bond

Chapter 7 : Here Comes The New James Bond

Spring wind was breezing, passing through rows of sakura tree. Soon, the beautiful pink petal would be completely gone, replaced by thick green leaves. From his room's window, Shino could see a park surrounded by sakura tree. It was a favorite gathering spot in the neighborhood. Mothers brought their children to the park's play ground. Fathers played catch with their sons. Young girls sat down at wooden bench, giggling slightly at some boys who just happened to pass by. Picnic blankets were spreaded on the grass area. Lunch boxes were being passed already.

Yes, people, it was another flower-viewing day. Flower-viewing meant two weeks full of parties under sakura tree, not to forget cans of beer and soft drinks. It was time for Japanese to forget their sorrow and bond with each other. Earlier this day, Shino's parents had asked the youngest about going for flower-viewing but he had not had any interest at all. He did not like the idea of him being surrounded by too many loud, total strangers.

"Are you sure, Shino? It's Saturday and since your dad rarely has the day off..." Again, Himeko brought up the idea during lunch.

Shino cut his hamburger and gave a share to Murasame who perched on his shoulder. "No. I prefer to spend Saturday at home. Besides, missing flower-viewing won't kill me, Mom," said Shino.

"That's true though. Well-"

Akimitsu's sentence was not finished yet when the door bell rang. Shino quickly hopped off his seat then pushed the intercom button. He saw a young man with short blond hair grinning at the camera, "Yo, Shi-chan, your cousin is here!"

"Oh, my, is that Kaname-kun?" Himeko said from her seat. "What are you doing, Shino? Open the door, honey!"

Five minutes later, Kaname had settled down comfortably at living room sitting next to Shino on sofa. "From my mom, Auntie," he handed Himeko a Chanel perfume, "She just got back from Paris two days ago."

"How lovely, Kaname-kun! She's doing well, yes?"

"As busy as usual," answered Kaname, "She flew to Italy-again-last night."

Himeko nodded. "That's so nice!"

Then Akimitsu started to ask Kaname more about his father. Akimitsu and Kaname's father were both involved in political world. Kaname's father worked for Ministry of Justice. Shino remembered watching his uncle several times on television. While Kaname's father seemed super busy with those serious-looking people, his mother had been building a fashion empire.

"Shi-chan, let's go upstairs," Kaname said to his much smaller cousin.

"Don't order me around, Kaname," Shino snorted.

"Manner, Shino, manner." Akimitsu shook his head. "It's been a while since Kaname-kun visited us. You boys go play upstairs."

Shino mumbled 'yes' before Kaname dragged him upstairs. Murasame followed behind. However, instead going to Shino's room, Kaname opened the door to Rio's room. Shino wrinkled his eyebrows. What the heck did Kaname want in Rio's room? While Shino was busy with his thoughts, Kaname threw his bag to the bed. The older boy smirked then glanced through the window. From his standing place, he could see a garden of big traditional house next door: Inukawa residence. As he had predicted before, Rio's room got the best view of Inukawa's house.

'Big house only for two, eh? Well, well, rich boys... Wait, I'm also rich! I have my own pent house, hmmm...but that's not actually mine though. Mom bought it- Wait, why am I musing now? The plan, Kaname, the plan!'

"Oi, Kaname, what are we doing here?" asked Shino, his voice held a suspicion.

"Actually I need some help from Rio for my class' paper, but too bad he's not here," Kaname answered in sing sang tone, "So, I'm gonna hang out in his room."

"But you are not on the same faculty with him..." Shino stared as Kaname took out a binoculars from his bag. "And what the hell is that?"

Kaname smiled. "Shi-chan... Have you ever heard of international law? Yup, that's one of the example how law is connected to international relations-here I'm emphasizing on political world, my current interest in university. In order the get better understanding of so-called international law class, I need Rio's help to explain more about rules and theories of law."

Shino was dumbfounded. He blinked several times at Kaname's somehow weird explanation. "But you haven't answered my last question."

"Have you never seen binoculars before?"

The boy snarled, "Of course I have, dammit! What are you gonna do with the binoculars?!"

Kaname looked very amused by Shino's reaction. Shino always had interesting reaction every time Kaname teased him. 'If only Rio was also this amusing,' Kaname smirked inwardly. Ok, back to the business! Rio turned his view to the house next door, this time using his brand new binoculars.

.

Ao coughed. He had been dusting the storage building since morning. Damn Sousuke and his tidiness-he had woken up Ao so early in the morning, kicked him to shower stall, and made him do houseworks. Sousuke probably was in the attic now, sweeping away those nasty spiderwebs. After spending around five godly hours in the storage, Ao decided it was a time to take a break.

.

Kaname watched a man exited a small building. Black blue hair, tall figure... Rio had described the twins during their last conversation. In detail, of course. Now, Kaname just needed to know which twin he was. He was too engrossed on his little observation that he did not notice Shino standing beside him.

"What are you doing, Kaname?" Shino asked.

"Hmm...practicing." Kaname said without turning away from the black binoculars.

Shino frowned. He had had no idea before that Kaname could be this random. "Practicing what?"

"Spying."

"W-what?" Shino's jaw dropped. He glance at Kaname, the binoculars, and finally Kaname's 'spying' target. "You are spying my neighbor!"

"Shi-chan, I am not a real spy. It's a practice. A practice!" Kaname waved his right hand dramatically and flicked Shino's forehead, earning several curses from the boy.

"Spying is spying, Kaname! Why the hell-"

"-am I practicing spying? Well, well, little Shi-chan, you certainly need to learn more about political world," the short, blond-haired young man cut in, eyes still fixed on the binoculars. "In this cruel, complicated political world which line between friend and enemy is only divided by mere interests, we need to plan precaution carefully. That's why intelligence data is necessary. So, as international poltics student, I must know at least about intelligence data gathering which includes...spying!"

Again, Shino was dumbfounded. "I-intelligence?"

"Say, have you ever watched James Bond?" Kaname asked.

Shino nodded. He remembered vaguely how his mom had squealed like a fangirl when she watched Pierce Brosnan in action. Even dad only shook his head whenever Himeko mentioned something about Brosnan's charm.

"Just imagine me doing something like that. But, no, I'm not that skillful yet." Kaname smirked. "Now, Shi-chan, do you know there's a cute girl next door?"

"What?"

.

Ao's limbs were sprawled on the ground. Laying on his back, he stretched his hands into the air. What a nice spring day, he thought. The breezing wind gently stroked his hairstrands. Sudenly, he saw someone blocking the sun ray. "Ne, Ao, you shouldn't slack off. Sou is going to kill you." A girl with wavy, long red hair were staring down at him with her hands on hips.

The young man frowned. "Oh, come on, Hamaji! I need a break!"

"You're not being fair, Ao! Me and Sousuke have been cleaning the entire house, plus the attics! And you only need to clean the storage," Hamaji pouted.

"Fucking huge storage," Ao corrected her.

Hamaji sighed. "You are helpless, Ao. Perhaps I should brew some tea for you, then. Let's see if there are-"

Hearing a word 'tea' came from Hamajis's mouth, Ao abruptly shot up. "There is no way I will drink that poison!"

"Oh, brat," said Hamaji with a sweet smile on her face.

.

Shino roughly snatched the binoculars from Kaname. He pressed his eyes on the cool surface so close that his eyes almost were not able to blink. There he saw Ao was talking to a red haired girl. She wore a black dress with equally black shoes. Shino had not seen the girl before at Inukawa residence. He then saw Ao suddenly stood up from his sitting position and grabbed the girl's arm. The girls yanked Ao's hand, stuck her tongue out. Ao smirked at the girl's annoyed expression but soon the girl burst into giggle.

Soon after Sousuke showed up, holding a broom stick in one hand. Shino snickered. Somehow the image of Sousuke with broom stick was really amusing. However, what happened next made Shino scowled. Sousuke put his hands on the girl's shoulders from behind, and they were standing too close-much to Shino's favor.

"What is it, Shi-chan?" Kaname asked when he noticed Shino's scowl.

"Nothing." Shino threw the binoculars back onto Kaname, and the blonde caught it perfectly. "I'm going to take a nap. Do whatever you want."

"No, you can't."

"Huh?" Shino looked at his cousin. "Stop ordering me around, Kaname! What's wrong with you today!" He did not mean to raise his voice but somehow he grew so irritated by Kaname's attitude. Shino stormed out in a blink, leaving Kaname confused.

Murasame was still perching on the night stand, cocking his head and staring at Kaname. The blonde smirked. "Well, Murasame, since Shi-chan is sulking, why don't you do me some favor?"

"No!" Murasame chirped.

Kaname smirked. He had already prepared for this kind of situation. "You know, Murasame, I have something here..." He rummaged through his bag and took out a pack of rice crackers. Five seconds later, Murasame flew out of window and Kaname went downstairs. He was about to reach the entrance when the front door clicked open.

Another blonde stepped in. "Kaname."

"Rio! Perfect timing!" Kaname beamed. He grabbed Rio's arm. "You have to come with me! Hurry up!"

Rio frowned. He was not in any mood to follow his weird cousin's antics, especially after he had been helping for preparation of national seminar. "Where to?"

"Next door."

.

.

tbc


	8. Chapter 8 : Jealousy

Chapter 8 : Jealousy

Rio had planned to spend his Saturday in leisure. He had bought some latest foreign novel and law-related books in Friday after taking Shino and Shinobu to a newly opened café. Rio always preferred to enjoy his weekend by staying at home or accompanying Shino somewhere. However a short e-mail from his professor had ruined his perfect sunny Saturday, asking him to come to his office. That lazy professor, Rio growled inwardly but quickly changed his clothes and went to campus. Really, that fat professor needed to move more else he would turn into a yeti in no time. Rio was annoyed more when he had to stay at campus at least until noon. And why on earth he needed to work on another document?

By the time he handed all the document, it was already passed lunch time. Since today was weekend, no university cafeteria was opened. Even a café in front of library was closed. Rio could only bear his grumbling stomach with a can of orange juice from vending machine. He took train home, relieved there would not be any rush hour.

Speaking about rush hour... Rio's thought darkened as he remembered what had happened several days ago. The Inukawa twins were such a pain. The older one was really bold to make a move on Shino, while the younger one was a total jerk who enjoyed teasing others. Moreover, somewhat Shino had taken a liking to the older twin. This is ridiculous, Rio muttered under his breath.

His mind was still preoccupied by the twins' unforgiveable behavior as he opened the front door. Loud steps turned Rio's attention to another blonde who had just reached the entrance. "Kaname," said Rio, narrowing his eyes. "Why are-"

"Rio! Perfect timing!" Kaname cut in then grabbed Rio's arm. "You have to come with me! Hurry up!"

Rio frowned. He wondered what Kaname wanted this time. He hoped his cousin had not tried to hide his porn collection somewhere in this house. Last time, Kaname hid some porn magazines under Rio's bed and somehow Shino had found it two days later. The poor boy's eyes were abused by those inappropriate pictures.

"Where to?" Rio asked.

"Next door." Kaname smiled at him innocently.

There was definitely something wrong here. Kaname was definitely planning an evil plot. Again, before Rio could move away from entrance, Kaname dragged him outside. When Kaname rang the Inukawa residence's bell, Rio felt like killing his idiotic cousin. Some moment later, Ao opened the wooden gate. He was bewildered, seeing Rio with another blonde in front of the gate, but quickly smirked.

Rio almost let a groan-how he hated Rio's smirk!

"Can I help you, guys?" asked the taller man.

"Yes, actually we come to get Murasame," Kaname answered without hesitation, "He flew to your garden a moment ago and won't come back."

"That funny-looking bird?"

Rio glared at Ao. How could he call Murasame funny?! He was practically his family member! Now, Rio felt like killing his idiotic cousin and the rude neighbor. "Kaname, you go there alone. I have another thing to do at home," said Rio as he turned back.

Too bad Kaname had a dead grip on his upper arm. "But, Rio-chan! I feel bad coming inside your neighbor's house alone. They don't even know me!"

"Well, I don't mind though," Ao chuckled, completely amused by those two's interaction, "Just come inside. Me and Sou are still cleaning this place. He makes me his slave."

Kaname grinned. "You guys just moved in, right? Heard that from Rio. Oh by the way, my name is Osaki Kaname, Rio's cousin."

"Inukawa Ao. Nice to meet you." Ao glanced at Rio. "Cousin? Interesting... Your personality is a complete opposite with him."

"Rio often acts like a grandfather," Kaname snickered, "He-"

"Where is Murasame?" Rio had had enough with his cousin. He stepped inside the house and began looking for the black bird. He was too irritated to notice Sousuke who was sitting at the porch.

Meanwhile, Kaname and Ao ended up with a conversation. It was very easy for Kaname to get friendly with people he just met. After all, he loved meeting new people. In his opinion Ao was quite interesting because the young man easily managed to get Rio annoyed. In the end of their small talk, Ao invited Kaname for some tea. Kaname was more than happy to accept.

His plan worked so far. Since the time Rio had told him about the new neighbor, Kaname could not help but have an urge to see the twins by his own eyes. Murasame was a necessary item to get him inside the Inukawa residence. Kaname only needed to bribe the bird with a pack of super limited wagyuu beef flavored rice crackers. He took a mental note to give the bird a limited Kobe smoked beef next time as a reward.

"So, you are also a student at the same university with Rio?" Ao asked when they entered the house, "You must be super smart too, eh?"

Kaname waved his hand. "Nah. Rio got the brain from his father-I'm his maternal cousin, our mothers are sisters. I don't know about Shi-chan though, he seems to be more easy going like the Inuzuka."

"Inuzuka?"

"Our mothers' maiden name."

Ao smiled. "Inuzuka has a long ancestry too, right? Inuzuka, Satomi, Osaki... Man, I better not screw up with you guys. I don't wanna end up in jail."

Kaname laughed. "I noticed you two have already screwed things up."

The other man raised an eyebrow then smirked. "What did you just say? I completely missed it."

"No wonder Rio doesn't really like you, Ao." Kaname snickered.

Ao only smirked. He continued to give a little tour around the house to Kaname, adding some comment on how big this place was. Kaname was quite impressed by Sousuke's painting. The man did have a talent, he remarked. Ao himself seemed very proud of it. They finally reached the kitchen which surprisingly pretty spacious. The two young men landed their attention to Hamaji who was taking out a teapot from cupboard.

"Hello you two," greeted Hamaji cheerfully as soon as her eyes saw them, "Oh, I certainly haven't seen you before. Your friend, Ao?"

Kaname smiled at the girl. She looked attractive, and reminded him of Shino. "Hi, my name's Osaki Kaname, cousin of Ao's next door."

"Shino-chan's cousin?" Hamaji's eyes twinkled. "I actually guessed you were Rio-san instead."

Wow, it looked like both Rio and Shino were quite a talk in this household.

.

Rio kept walking toward the garden on the side of house, didn't even bothered with Ao and Kaname's casual conversation. Having a loud cousin and cocky neighbor in the same place would only give him a headache. He looked up to find Murasame, thinking that the bird might perch on a tree branch. No, he was nowhere to spot. Rio frowned. Great. First, his weekend was ruined by some lazy professor. Second, he would likely to waste time only to find Murasame. Third, why was Kaname here?!

Rio had almost pulled his hair out if he did not see Sousuke at the porch.

Sousuke gave a slight nod. "Good afternoon, Rio-san."

"Good afternoon. Have you seen Murasame? He flew here some moments ago," said Rio, avoiding any boring small talk.

"I haven't seen him around," Sousuke replied, "He's usually with Shino."

"I know."

Sousuke stared at Rio for a while. He knew Rio did not really like him to be so close with Shino-which Ao obviously had made fun out of it. What a good thing Shino never realized that his big brother had given intense glare to both of the twins. If looks could kill, they would be dead by now. Shino was a cute teenager, really. Who would not fall for his big round eyes and cheerful smile. Even hardly-impressed Ao had been captivated a little in the beginning.

"What is it?" asked Rio.

"Excuse me?" Sousuke was taken aback by Rio's sudden question.

"What is it you like from Shino?" Rio's voice was very low and Sousuke swore he caught furious growl.

However, before Sousuke could answer, they heard a loud thud from inside the house followed by Ao's voice, "Hamaji, you just killed the Osaki heir with your tea, dammit!"

.

Shino had tried to take a nap in his room only to find himself staring at ceilings. He quickly gave up and began walking around the house-a habit whenever he felt bored-then entered Rio's room. He liked Rio's room better than his own. Rio always kept his place neat and arranged. Two book shelves were on the left wall with study desk in between. A violin box leaned against the wall, next to the desk. On top of the desk were piles of law books, stationaries, and a picture frame. Shino grinned at the picture. It showed the Satomi brothers standing on a cruise ship deck.

The cruise itself had been a present from their parents for Rio's success on passing university entrance examination-he had scored the highest mark. The cruise had somehow turned into family vacation. Kaname suddenly had invited himself, and ended up with his parents coming along. Himeko had been very excited to find out her sister there. They barely had vacation together, after all. Soon the two beautiful ladies had made themselves busy with Mediteranian sea, forgetting each of their respective husband. Only Inuzuka sisters could treat powerful men like that.

Shino lift the picture frame, staring at his younger self. Before, going for a cruise had been only a dream. No, forget the cruise. Taking a walk under spring breeze all day long had been so hard for the boy. During those days, Shino had often wondered whether he would see his family again tomorrow. He had wondered whether tonight's sleep would be his last.

Shrugging off the memory, Shino opened the window. A cool air hit his face in instant. His eyes scanned the neighborhood area. In the end, he watched the Inukawa's garden. His thoughts flew to the image of Sousuke and a red hair girl. Who was that girl, anyway? What did she do in Inukawa residence? The mere thoughts made Shino scowled. He did not understand why he could not stop thinking of Sousuke. Well, Sousuke was a nice man-he baked! Moreover, he did not mind listening to the boy's rambling and...

Shino's eyes narrowed as he saw his brother standing in the Inukawa's garden, talking to Sousuke. Seconds later, Kaname showed up unconscious while being dragged by Ao. The red-haired girl joined them.

.

Sousuke could not help but laugh while Ao told him about tea accident. Kaname looked half-dead now, with Hamaji sitting beside him. The older twin suddenly heard a flap of wings then looked up. Murasame was perching on the highest tree. He was about to call Murasame when he caught a glimpse of purplish hair.

"Shino!" he shouted.

But the boy quickly disappeared behind curtain.

.

.

tbc


	9. Chapter 9 : Am I Falling in Love?

Chapter 9 : Am I Falling in Love?

Lunch time was the only period where students were allowed to play with ball at school garden. The boys of course took this as an opportunity to show their skill in front of female students. The girls were giggling whenever one of the boy was desperately chasing a ball only to impress them. Typical high-schoolers, Shino thought. He was sitting at a wooden bench near the pond, eating his lunch as slowly as possible. Shino had been waiting for Shinobu all the time. They promised to have lunch together, but so far Shinobu had not showed up yet. At this rate, Shino would finish his lunch box alone.

Absentmindedly, he reached for his smart phone then began randomly browsing blogs. He mostly opened food and travel blogs. While he was switching between those two, an e-mail came in. It was from Sousuke. Shino felt his cheeks becoming hot, but soon replaced by a slight frown. He remembered what had happened last weekend. Up until now, he still could not understand his own reaction. Why he suddenly hid behind curtain when Sousuke had called for him? He must talk to Shinobu as soon as possible, his friend probably could provide a logical answer.

/Shino, konnichiwa. How's school?/ Shino read the e-mail. /Are you free next weekend? I would like to discuss about you become the model for my painting. Perhaps I can cook dinner for you too?/

Oh, yeah...right. The boy completely forgot about the modelling stuff. He tapped the screen and typed, but stopped in the middle. It would be better if he asked Shinobu's opinion first. Well, it did not mean that he would not be Sousuke's model though...

"Sorry, Shino! Did you wait long?" Shinobu showed up right after Shino had put away his smart phone.

"I waited forever," Shino grumbled.

The older boy laughed. "Oh, come on! As if I never waited for you before. How many times did you oversleep?"

Shino scowled. "Whatever. Do you bring your lunch?"

Shinobu nodded. He showed him an average-sized lunch box wrapped in anime-patterned cloth. The other boy almost choked on his food. "What the heck is that, Shinobu?! Pikachu? Really?" Shino commented, "Your uncles are really weird."

"They still think I'm eight years old." Shinobu smiled sheepishly. He quickly removed the cloth and put a chicken karaage into his mouth. "Thank god they are good in cooking. So, Shino, what's up? What is it that you want to discuss?"

Out of the blue, Shino felt a strange twinge on his stomach. "Well, uuuh..."

"Well?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.

Shino began fidgeting. "Well, uuuh...do you remember the twins I told you before?"

"Your neighbor?" Shino confirmed. He was somehow amused by Shino's little fidgeting. "What about them?"

Shino dropped his eyes then inhaled deeply.

"Wellitsnotthatimportantbutoneofthetwinsaskmetobea model." He said in one breath without any break.

His friend blinked.

"AndsuddenlyIsawagirlinhishousethensincelastweeken dIfeelsostrange." Shino took another breath. "WhatswrongwithmeShinobu?"

Shinobu blinked again, twice. Shino spoke so fast that Shinobu was afraid the boy would have hyperventilation. "So...let me make it clear. One of the twins asked you to be a model? Which one?"

"Sousuke."

"What model?"

"Traditional painting."

"Classy." Shinobu smiled. "Did you agree to be his model?" When Shino nodded, his smile became wider. "Sousuke asked you to become his model and you said yes. Then...suddenly a girl came to his house? Do you know this girl?"

Shino shook his head. He told Shinobu the whole story, from Kaname's sudden visit to his hiding behind curtain. Shinobu listened to his kouhai without making any interruption. "...now, every time I think of Sousuke, my stomach feels funny."

"Funny as in?"

Shino groaned in frustration. "I don't know, Shinobu! But I don't like this feeling. It's bothering me from morning to night. I cannot sleep peacefully now, thanks to that!"

"Hmm..."

"Don't just 'hmmm' me!"

The blonde finally laughed. Oh, Shino! Sometimes he just did not know how to describe the boy-either stupid or too innocent. He put both hands on Shino's shoulders with a big grin on his face. "Listen to me, Shino. What you've been feeling up until now is called...falling in love."

One...two...three...

"What!"

.

Sousuke hummed happily as he closed the front door. Ao believed a huge meteor would hit the earth in no time. Twenty two years since they were born into this world, Ao barely heard his brother humming. Worst, the humming did not stop as they entered train station. "Oi, what's it?" Ao could not suppress his urge to ask anymore.

"What's what?" Sousuke glanced.

"You're in a very good mood," said Ao, reaching his wallet to put it on the automatic gate's sensors. Sousuke who was at the next gate did the same thing. A loud 'beep' sound confirmed that their Suica card had been read and the gate swung open. "Is it that Shino boy?"

"You make him sounds like a brat," Sousuke sighed, "Yes, it is Shino." He just got a reply from Shino, saying the boy would like to join him for dinner this Saturday.

The twins never hid any secret. They were not good on telling lies to other. If one of them told a lie, the other one would notice instantly. So, Sousuke thought it would be better if Ao knew his interest in Shino.

"Hmph, I know you have such interest, Aniki," said Ao, smirking, "Are you sure it's not what the girls call 'spring fling'?"

Sousuke only laughed slightly. "We'll see."

The train ride brought them seven stations away, to a famous business district of the city. As they had expected, the train station was really full even though it was weekday. The sun almost set on west part of the sky, leaving a trail of crimson-colored clouds. The air became a little bit chiller. After all, it was a spring time. There were still around two and half months until the weather would get warmer. The twins made a small stop at general goods store before they went inside a restaurant.

"Welcome!" The waiter greeted, looking pleased to see their most loyal customers, "The usual?"

"Yeah, we'll take the stools," replied Ao, gesturing to the bar area, "Where's your boss?"

The waiter pointed at someone who had just came out of kitchen door. The tall, brunette man was wearing a chef attire. "Hi, guys! Long time no see!"

"We came here two weeks ago," said Ao, "Don't be so dramatic, Kobungo."

The man named Kobungo laughed, scratching his head. "Come on, guys! We've been friends for more than ten years! Friends do miss each other, ya know. Ma said you guys should drop by sometimes. Geez, she misses you two more than her own son."

Kobungo was the son of Inukawa's family friend, the Inuta. The family had been involved in hospitality industry for a long time. After the end of world war II, Kobungo's grandfather opened their first traditional inn in Kamakura, then in ten years he successfully ran another three inn followed by a hotel in Tokyo's Shinjuku in 1960s. The Inuta had a good reputation as well as respect among their business partner, emphasizing the importance of corporate social responsibilities and their employees' welfare.

It had been during the opening of their new restaurant that Kobungo had met the twins. The twins' mother had been a good friend of Kobungo's parents-particularly in beverages industry where the twins' mother had wide knowledge in wine and other liquor. Kobungo's mother had often invited her to demonstrate her skill in front the hotel guests. Kobungo had been quite a mischief. He loved pulling pranks and somehow ended up dragging the twins with him at that party. The prank, which destroyed the perfect champagne tower, had gotten the three boys being grounded for a month. Since then, Kobungo and the twins were good friends.

Kobungo currently worked as a chef at one of his family's restaurant. The twins always dropped by at least twice a month there. "How's the new house?" Kobungo asked when the twins had taken seat on the bar.

Ao groaned. "It was a disaster."

"Don't be so dramatic, Ao," said Sousuke, mimicking his younger twin. Ao just rolled his eyes. "The problem is the house's size so it takes time to clean up."

"Yeah, it takes forever, literally." Ao waved his hand.

"Nothing interesting, eh?" asked Kobungo again. He placed two glasses of special ice coffee in front of the twins.

Ao threw a look at Sousuke. "You have no idea," he muttered, earning a hard jab on ribs from Sousuke.

Kobungo grinned. "Cute girl next door?"

"Oh, I wish," Ao snickered.

"What?! Is it older woman? Neighbor's wife? Gosh, Sousuke, don't you ever lay a hand on married woman! It brings no good!" Kobungo gasped.

"Calm down, Kobungo," said Sousuke, "I have no interest in older woman."

"Younger boy then?" teased the younger twin.

Sousuke almost choked on his coffee, while Kobungo moved his mouth like a golden fish. "What the hell, Sousuke! Are you a pedophile!"

And the rest of customers abruptly turned their attention to the three man. Some of the young ladies who were sitting on table stared at them suspiciously. Sousuke lightly smacked Ao's head, half-glaring at Kobungo because of his sudden outburst.

"Well, I don't really care though..." Kobungo cleared his throat. "Anyway, I am more interested in how you got smitten, Sousuke. You barely have romantic interest, not like...that playboy."

Ao grinned. "You must meet this Shino boy," he said, "You gonna get along with him."

"Really? Hmm, perhaps next time you can bring him here." Kobungo raised an eyebrow, "Hope he likes Italian food..."

"That is ... a good idea," Ao smirked again while patting Kobungo's shoulder.

When Ao and Kobungo got together at the same room, it was always Sousuke who became their teasing target. They were such a brat, Sousuke thought. He made a mental note not to mention his dinner plan with Shino next Saturday. Ao would not let him escape from his hand.

.

.

tbc

*Suica is one of fare cards for train lines in Japan


	10. Chapter 10 : Moving to The Next Step

Chapter 10 : Moving to The Next Step

The last lecture of the day finished earlier than usual because the professor had been called by the head department. His students were more than happy to end the class because the professor was really dull. Rio put his notes and text book into his bag, and soon followed the bunch of loud students out of the room. He was about to exit the building when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Ri-o-cha-n~"

"Kaname." Rio slapped his cousin's hands away. "What do you want?"

Kaname grinned. He knew Rio was still annoyed by the last weekend's event. That day, the two of them had ended up having tea with the twins and Hamaji-the girl was banned from kitchen by Ao. Rio had scowled all the time, even though he had not shown it openly. Hah! As if Kaname would have not noticed that twitching eyebrow every ten second! After all, they were cousin who had grown up together.

"Wanna grab dinner together?" asked Kaname, "Do you know there's a new okonomiyaki restaurant just down the street?"

Rio rolled his eyes. "I'm going home now."

"Hmph, no fun, Rio-chan. You really need to get laid."

Again, with the conversation? Rio tried to hold back a growl. He had a sudden urge to kick Kaname out of his sight, but Kaname kept pestering him until they separated at campus gate. Rio sighed, feeling content with the uneventful journey back home. Since the Inukawa twins had moved, somehow his days were not that peaceful anymore. No, correction: his days were disaster.

Inukawa Sousuke had snapped all his nerves by boldly showing affection to Shino. Inukawa Ao-Rio did not even want to mention the man's name-was an arrogant bastard whose smirk always made him annoyed. He never felt this irritated before. He could still tolerate other people's arrogance but Ao was at another whole level. He would not leave Rio alone. Like during last weekend's afternoon tea, Ao had been sitting next to him and talking about how Rio should have more life-thanks to Kaname and his loudmouth, now everybody had known Rio had not dated for a while.

"Hello there."

Great, not only Rio found himself thinking about Ao's arrogance but he also heard the man's annoying voice. He tried to distract himself by looking at a supermarket advertisement.

"Oi."

Rio sure he was sleepwalking. How on earth he could hear Ao's voice so close to him?

"Rio-chan."

The blonde looked over his shoulder and saw Ao was standing in front of convenience store only few steps away from him. Great, it had not been a dream at all. The dark blue-haired man wore a black jeans with jacket. He waved at Rio, smirking. Rio growled under his breath. That smirking face...

"I thought you were wearing earphones," said Ao, "Or...perhaps you were thinking of your girlfriend?"

Rio stared again at Ao's smirking face. That kind of smirk was really making him annoyed. The quirk of his upper lip combined with a small dimple always presented when Ao was teasing him. Sometimes he showed a line of his white teeth with prominent fangs when he chuckled. 'Wait, why the hell am I thinking about his facial features?'

"Oi," Ao called, "Rio."

Finally, Rio snapped, "Don't call me like th-"

The blonde's sentence was cut by a tip of finger touching his cheek. Rio gasped and froze instantly when he realized it was Ao's index finger. The man was practically poking his finger onto Rio's cheek.

"Daydreaming? You were thinking about someone you like, eh?" Ao smirked, his finger did not stop poking.

Rio was speechless. Words were flying away from his mind. He quickly slapped Ao's finger then turned his head to another direction.

With last quick glance, Rio continued to walk passing rows of stores and apartments. He did not pay any attention to Ao who somehow had ended up walking beside him. Ao asked him about classes, but Rio only replied with faster walking pace. Instead of backing off, the taller man did not stop talking. Rio swore Ao was the reincarnation of the devil itself.

"Aren't you going inside?" Ao's voice cut through the air.

Rio was startled. They were standing between his and Ao's house. Ao's body silhouette looked firmer under street light. Rio had never noticed how wide Ao's shoulders were. Rio shook his head lightly. He would not get distracted by Ao's appearance-in the end, Ao was still an arrogant man.

Ao smirked once again when Rio walked inside his house without any word.

.

Weekend came quickly. Too quickly. Shino really wanted to scream. He woke up this morning with a funny feeling on his stomach. He took a deep breath before starting his morning in usual routine. He joined his family for breakfast. Himeko was preparing french toast when the boys came downstairs. Akimitsu was reading his morning newspaper as always. Rio sat down at a dining chair and sipped his black coffee. Murasame entered the dining area a while later, perching at Shino's shoulder.

"Any plan, boys?" Akimitsu asked.

"Library," answered Rio swiftly.

"Nothing," the other boy shrugged.

Himeko, who had just put a plate of french toast on the table frowned. "Oh, come on, Rio! Library! Really? On Saturday?"

"You make it as if I was going to commit a sin." Rio sighed.

"It is!" Himeko threw a glare at his son, "When I was around your age, I went dating! Every week! With different boy!"

"You did not need to study that hard, Mom."

"Nonsense! I was a top student at my class, and I was committee for university festival every year." Himeko's slender fingers ran into her wavy blond hair. "Listen to me, Rio. In your youth, yes, you need to study and work really hard but you also must enjoy your life! Dating, partying, getting drunk, having hangover, or any other fun activities!" she continued while counting with her fingers.

Shino glanced at his dad, asking, "Why did you marry her, Dad?"

"Believe me, I have no idea up until now," replied Akimitsu behind his newspaper.

After giving her eldest son a short lecture about the importance of having fun, Himeko turned her attention to Shino. "So, Shino, what is your plan?"

"Like I said, Mom," Shino replied, "Nothing."

And the boys were forced to listen to their mother's short lecture about how doing nothing would make their life really boring.

Rio left for library around an hour later and Akimitsu began working at his home office. Himeko, again, tried to tell Shino to go outside but the boy did nothing at all. He laid on the couch, rolling into his side. He watched Murasame playing with stuffed toy. Feeling bored, Shino stared at his phone screen. Yesterday, he had sent Sousuke an e-mail to confirm his modelling job immediately after his shocking conversation with Shinobu. Much of his own surprise, Shino had said yes. Actually, it had been Shinobu who encouraged Shino to do so.

Sousuke had not mentioned what time Shino should come to his house. Anytime is fine, Sousuke said in the e-mail. Now, Shino was contemplating whether to go now or later in the afternoon. Gosh, why did he sound like a girl anticipating her first date?! It was all Shinobu's fault! Shino shot up and began pacing in his living room. His hands absentmindedly ran into his purplish locks.

"Aaaah, that's it! Whatever!" Shino screamed on top of his lungs and stormed out of the house, leaving Himeko and Akimitsu jumped in surprise.

Seconds later, Shino found himself stood in front of the Inukawa's house. He rang the bell, ready to face Sousuke. As he had expected, Sousuke opened the gate. The man could not hide his beaming expression when he looked at Shino. "Please, come in," said Sousuke, "Would you like some tea and cake?"

At the word 'cake', Shino felt his mouth watering. He knew Sousuke's cake was very sweet and delicious. It melted inside his mouth, giving a lingering texture of finest whipped cream. "Sure, I'll ha-" Wait, he was not here for a mere slice of cake. He was here to... To what? He did not even know the answer. Sure, yesterday Shinobu had told him that he was in love with Sousuke... But, to think about it again, was it true? Was he really in love with Sousuke? More importantly, did Sousuke like him too?

"Shino, are you alright? You're spacing out," said Sousuke as they entered the entrance area, "Are you-"

A clumsy yank on his collar startled the dark-haired man. He was forced to bent over, his feet almost got tripped in proccess. A soft surface touched his lips. Sousuke's eyes went wide instantly. Shino was...kissing him. It was an awkward, innocent kiss. A peck, no more than that, but Sousuke was in a pure bliss. When theirs lips were apart, he sneaked his hands around Shino's thin waist.

They looked at each other. Shino had already had his face covered in crimson. He looked down at his toes when Sousuke embraced him. The older man took Shino's chin and the boy finally looked up.

"I...," Shino stuttered, "I...uhm..."

Sousuke smiled gently, kissing Shino's forehead. "Thank you."

Shino looked bewildered. "Uh, what?"

The man did not reply. Instead, he took Shino's hand and led him into his studio. Shino followed him in confusion. He had kissed Sousuke, and Sousuke had said thank you. And...and... Shino was in daze when Sousuke slid the door closed. Shino turned back and watched how Sousuke were staring at him. Those eyes were gentler than usual. Shino swore he could clearly hear his own heart beats.

"Shino," said Sousuke as he cupped the boy's cheeks, "I know we should wait but... I'll be gentle so it won't hurt that much."

The boy had no idea what Sousuke was talking about. He allowed Sousuke pulled his body so they were sitting on the wooden floor. Sousuke's hands were still on his waist, hugging him even tighter. Slowly, Sousuke made a move to Shino's small hips. Shino was about to protest when Sousuke put his fingers on his inner thigh, but the man kissed him in mouth. Hard.

.

.

tbc


	11. Chapter 11 : The First Time

Chapter 11 : The First Time

It was awkward.

When a man older than you by six years pressing his face against your chest, it was totally awkward.

That's what Shino felt right now. Sousuke's face on his chest. Sousuke's hands on his hips. Sousuke's... Shino yelped as Sousuke's cold fingers went beneath his waistband. What the hell was happening here?! Sousuke had whispered him some assuring words, "I'll be gentle so it won't hurt that much."

Shino blinked. Gentle? Hurt? What? "Wait, Sousuke! What do you-mmph!"

Sousuke sealed their mouths. The kiss was hard and Shino could not help but gritted his teeth. The boy's eyes went wide when he felt Sousuke's tongue trying to find an opening. Shino found it hard to breathe. His hands were gripping Sousuke's shoulders, trembling. Shino moaned when Sousuke began nipping his lips. Taking advantage from the situation, the older man quickly slipped his tongue and roamed inside Shino's hot cavern.

After five seconds which felt like forever, Sousuke broke apart. Shino was panting and flushing under his breath. His lips were red and a little bit swollen. He stared at Sousuke-between embarrassment and disbelief. He was so happy that Sousuke had kissed him back. It meant that the man also liked him, right? However, he had not expected Sousuke would...

"Are you scared, Shino?" asked Sousuke in such gentleness.

Shino shook his head violently.

"You don't like it?"

Another shook and Shino looked at Sousuke's dark eyes. Those eyes only reflected Shino's petite frame. Slowly, Shino touched Sousuke's cheek to feel every detail and texture of the handsome face. Sousuke took Shino's hand and kissed the fingers. The small boy could not help but flinch as Sousuke licked a gap between his thumb and index finger.

"Sou...suke," Shino panted, "Please..."

"Please what?"

Shino's eyes grew wider. He did not understand what he begged for. His body felt strange and hot all over. He could swear his heart was pumping blood faster than usual. Sousuke noticed Shino's panic expression, so he pulled him into his arms. "Shino," he whispered, "If you want me to stop, I'll stop."

"Wha-" He was stopped by a hand stroking his groin. Sousuke's skillful fingers opened the fly then pulled the boy's pants down. Shino shivered at the sensation of his bare thighs hitting the open air. Without waiting for more reaction from Shino, Sousuke worked on the briefs. He lightly stroked the thing underneath. The stroke was slow as if Sousuke's fingers did not want to miss any detail on Shino's hardened cock.

"Sou..." Shino whimpered, feeling a strange hot feeling building up on his stomach.

Sousuke kept stroking, this time he put more speed. The pace was quickened and Shino unconsciously bit Sousuke's shoulder. Instead protesting at the pain, Sousuke was pleased. So, the boy was into biting things... The man released his hand from Shino's cock, making a quick move to gently lay Shino on couch nearby. Shino whimpered at sudden lost. He desperately touched his own cock then stroked it in such clumsy way. Sousuke's eyes lit up-enjoying the view. Shino was sweating and flushing. His whimpers and gasps were beautiful songs in Sousuke's ears.

Sticky pre-cum began leaking from Shino's small cock. Sousuke smiled then placed his hands on Shino's chest. "I'll make you feel good, Shino," said the dark blue-haired man. He gently helped Shino removed the rest of his clothes until the boy was totally naked. It was uncomfortable for Shino in the beginning. Exposing his naked self in front of people other than his family members was embarrassing enough to make him want to hide from Sousuke forever.

While Shino was busy hiding his embarrassment, Sousuke started to ravish the boy's naked neck and collarbone. He kissed. He sucked. He nibbled. He did everything to earn innocent gasps from Shino. The boy was not patient anymore, he stroked his cock faster and when Sousuke bit a nipple Shino screamed. The sensation was too much. He arched his back, spreading his legs wider.

A string of cum spilled onto his chest some moment later.

Sousuke looked down and found his shirt also dirtied by the white liquid. He kissed Shino's stomach. "Good boy," he murmured. He placed kisses along the lower stomach and finally licked Shino's groin. The boy whimpered once again, pushing Sousuke's head but did not complain.

"Sousu...ke, there...," he panted, "There...ahn!"

He almost saw white when suddenly his cock was engulfed in a moist cavern. His brain could not register what had happened until he heard sucking sound. Shino gasped in surprise. Sousuke was sucking his cock, licking from its tip. Shino's legs were weakened and he let every sensation rushed into his brain.

When Sousuke deep-throated him, Shino screamed. The tip of his cock hit the back of Sousuke's throat. He pushed his lower body up to get more strange pleasure but Sousuke quickly pinned him down. He forced Shino to follow his rhythm. Sousuke bobbed his head, creating a constant movement of up and down. Shino gripped at the older man's shoulder so hard that it would definitely leave a nasty mark later.

Shino felt he was almost on the edge. He grunted and pushed Sousuke's head once again, encouraging him to fasten his pace. Instead doing what Shino wanted, Sousuke moved his hand to Shino's entrance after coating his fingers with saliva. Slowly, Sousuke pushed a digit into Shino's entrance.

The boy cried in pain. '"H-hurts..."

Sousuke stopped but did not withdraw his finger. He let the small boy adjusted on his finger. After a while, which Shino finally began to relax, Sousuke resumed pushing. Shino cried softly, biting his lips. Sousuke kissed his lips and pumped the boy's cock. While Shino was distracted by the kiss, Sousuke inserted the second finger. A muffled cry escaped from Shino's ravished lips. Adjusting to second finger was easier than Shino had expected. Soon, he felt two long fingers began moving, scissoring his entrance.

Those fingers touched the surface of inner wall, trying to find the sweet spot. Sousuke shifted his angle and suddenly Shino screamed on top of his lungs. The scream was far from pain. It was a pure, blissful pleasure. Sousuke had found the prostate. With a quick move, Sousuke withdrew his fingers only to enter the hole again and hit the spot hard. Shino screamed louder, his body arched under Sousuke's.

Two more hit on his prostate, Shino could not hold any longer. His arms clung on Sousuke's neck. He rubbed his arousal on the man's hand so hard. His hips were moving frantically. "Sou! Sousuke! I'm coming!" he cried.

Sousuke brushed his finger on the boy prostate once again. Shino screamed in return. Tears were flowing down from his eyes. Sousuke kissed him hard, putting his tongue into Shino's mouth. "Come, Shino," he whispered a while later. Shino could not register what happened next. He was screaming until his throat became so sore. Strings of cum dirtied his stomach and Sousuke's shirt. His body spasmed in pleasure.

Some moment later, he was left panting on the coach. Alone. He did not care where Sousuke had gone. He was too tired to protest when Sousuke came in. The young man carried Shino's spent body in bridal style. They moved to bathroom where the tub was already filled by warm water. Sousuke washed Shino with mango-scent soap before putting him into bathtub.

Shino finally stared at Sousuke's eyes. "Uhm...Sousuke..."

"Yes?"

"Does it mean that we are... uhm... how about uhm... you?" The purplish-haired boy fidgeted.

Sousuke smiled and stroked Shino's smooth face. He kissed the tip of small nose lightly. "Let's take it slow, okay? There's no need to be in a rush. We have time."

Shino was somehow relieved by the answer. However, he still needed to know Sousuke's feeling toward him. Gathering all his courage, Shino asked again, "B-but do you...like me?"

"Yes," said Sousuke swiftly, with no hesitation, "I like you, Shino. From the first time we met."

The boy smiled. He jumped from the bathtub and hugged Sousuke tightly. The warmth from Sousuke's body was comforting. "Join me?" asked Shino, pointing at the bathtub. Sousuke soon stripped into nothing.

Shino made a mental note to thank Shinobu on Monday.

.

The sun was already on the west sky when Ao opened the front door. He had been outside since morning to do some business and now the first thing that came into his mind was having a good dinner. Muttering 'tadaima', Ao took his shoes off. His eyes caught a pair of small shoes at the entrance. He did not need to confirm whose shoes was that. Ao went directly to studio to greet his little guest. As he had predicted, he saw Sousuke was sitting on wooden chair with a sketch book while talking to Shino whom currently laying on the coach. Two pairs of eyes met a smirking face.

"Good evening, Shino," greeted Ao.

"Hello," the boy replied then glanced at Sousuke who gave him a silent nod.

Ao narrowed his eyes. Was Shino blushing at Sousuke? Hmmm... "So, guys, what have you been doing?"

"Sketching." Sousuke lift his sketch book and pencil.

Shino answered the question half-mumbling, "Nothing."

Was Shino still blushing at Sousuke? Ao smirked again. He had found a material for blackmail. Ao took a seat beside Shino, saying, "It's almost dinner time. Why don't we go out for dinner together? Hmm, Shino?" Ao swore he could hear a small, almost inaudible growl from his twin. This made things more interesting.

"Dinner?" Shino cocked his head.

Ao nodded. "Yeah. It's weekend so you don't have to worry over school. Besides, me and Sou know a good Italian restaurant. Wanna give it a try?"

At the words 'good' and 'Italian', Shino's mind immediately created images of delicious pasta and pizza. His eyes twinkled. "Sure! Let's go, Ao!" Shino beamed.

Ao smirked at Sousuke who had a slight frown on his face. He had known that his older twin would have such reaction. Oh, what's more fun than teasing your own brother, right?

.

.

tbc


	12. Chapter 12 : Dinner

Chapter 12 : Dinner

Rio went to the library every weekend. Usually he went to his campus library but sometimes he just simply dropped by at district library. The district library was a nice place to spend time reading books. Its building had been renovated three years ago and redesigned by a famous architect. Now the entire place was very modern with light colored wooden panels. The ceilings was painted in bright white and some reading areas had massive glassed windows. The garden was also nice, with its wisteria trees which would make it very breath-taking in spring time.

The blonde settled himself on a desk inside. He placed his bag on the next chair and opened all his reading materials for next week's classes. Taking notes and sticking post-it here and there, Rio soon lost in his own reading. Rio did not really like studying at home because there was too much distraction. When you got a very talkative mother, noisy little brother, plus gluttonous pet bird, it would be better to stay at library until dinner. Besides, Shino would likely invade his bedroom.

"Nii-chan, hurry up!" A voice of small child cut through the air. Rio looked up from his book and saw a little girl running across the room.

"Sssh, lower your voice. We are in library," hushed a boy-no more than eleven years old-who followed the girl from behind. He reached for his little sister's hand and led her to children section. The little girl smiled happily, skipping beside him.

Rio stopped writing. The girl somewhat reminded him on how little Shino had used to follow him around every time. His little brother had always clung tightly at Rio almost every morning, begging him not to leave him alone with such teary eyes. Himeko had a hard time trying to explain why Rio had to go to school. Whenever Shino had asked why he could not study at school together with Rio, both Himeko and Akimitsu always made such a sad expression like they felt sharp pang on their chest.

Shino had spent his childhood between house and hospital. He had been born with weak immune system and a heart disease. A remnant of blood vessel in his heart had not closed immediately so unoxygenated blood was mixed with oxygenated blood and thus sometimes made it hard for Shino to breath, even his face would turn slightly blue. The heart disease could be cured with surgery, but unfortunately Shino's weak immune system was an obstacle to overcome. Just right before the surgery he often got minor infection. Therefore, the surgery had to be cancelled. Those things happenend several times so Shino was practically being 'isolated' to make sure he didn't get another infection before the surgery.

Going out had not been an option, even a simple thing like going to hairdresser had not been allowed. Shino's hair had been getting longer with each passing days, even Rio often made a braid from his hair. It had been so hard not only for Shino but also both of his parents and Rio. Shino would get upset when he had been told to get plenty of rest and usually ended with Shino throwing a tantrum and his blue spells would kick in. Sometimes when Shino being difficult, Himeko cried in the kitchen accompanied by Akimitsu and Rio. After a long awaited time, a chance presented itself when Shino was eleven years old. He was in a good condition so they immediately took the chance for the surgery.

After the surgery and recovery, Shino had been doing fine. The first thing he do was getting a haircut. Himeko made a fuss because Shino's long hair was so smooth and silky, but he said that it was to rid other bad luck. He went to school like any other healthy kid. It had been hard in the beginning because he had many things to catch up. Akimitsu, Rio, and Kaname helped Shino to study in more efficient but less stressful way. Shinobu came every week to drop reading materials and hang out with Shino. In the end, Shino's strong determination and hard work made him pass the entrance exam with satisfying marks.

Rio was very proud of his family. Himeko and Akimitsu has been gone through the worst. The blonde remembered his dad had cried beside Shino's hospital bed quietly after they had cancelled surgery on Shino for second time. He remembered his mom had tried to smile in front of their extended family while explaining Shino's current condition. Their parents had sacrificed so many things for Shino but never failed paying attention to Rio on the same time.

So, if people asked him how it felt to be a part of Satomi family, Rio would completely forget how famous they were. He would forget that his dad and grandfather were politicians. The only thing he had in his mind was the pride of a boy who had witnessed such a long fight. A long battle which they had won with complete victory. Now, life was good. His little brother was healthy. Akimitsu could focus more on his career while Himeko had more time for herself. And Rio was more than pleased to see how happy his family was.

Shaking his head, Rio turned his attention back to the reading materials. It was still a little past noon. The silence greeted him once again. Sometimes his ears people's voices whispering with each other and small, light footsteps. Rio was too immersed on law-related books to notice that the sun had set until his smart phone vibrated.

It was an e-mail from his mom. /Rio-chan, are you having dinner at home?/

/Yes. Be there soon./ Rio typed a reply then began gathering his belongings.

Another e-mail came. /By the way, Shino will be having dinner with the Inukawa twins. They already took him to a restaurant./

Rio twitched at the words. He shoved all his books and journals into his bag before quickly exited the library. Walking furiously toward bus stop, Rio hit speed dial on his smart phone.

Two dial tones and Rio asked, "Where are you, Shino?"

.

Whenever Sousuke and Ao were together at public space, people always stared or threw a glance at them. It was rare to see two handsome twins at random street after all. The twins seemed to aware on those eyes but they just shrugged it off. Shino was sure some people already had made wild guesses about the twins. Were they fashion models? Were they on a band? Were they... Suddenly a big and warm hand touched his shoulder. Sousuke was standing behind him.

"Are you alright, Shino?" asked the young man.

Ao also nodded. "Yeah, you don't talk that much today."

Shino rolled his eyes. "Sorry for being loud," he replied, half-grumbling. Ao laughed and patted Shino's head. Actually Shino still felt weird standing between the twins. They were very identical. They even walked in exact way! If not for their hair and clothing style, Shino could not tell which one they were.

"Are you tired?" asked Sousuke again, glancing at Shino's lower body. "Sorry, we should not have forced you to come with us."

"Nah, guess I'm just hungry." Shino waved his hand, completely oblivious at where Sousuke was eyeing him. "Oi, Ao, are we there yet?"

Ao smirked. He ruffled Shino's silky hair and encircled his arms on Shino's small shoulders. "No worries! Big brother here will-" Ao stopped as he smelt familiar sweet scent coming from Shino's hair. "Wait, Shino, you smell like our sham-"

"We are here," said Sousuke, yanking Ao away from Shino's shoulders.

Ao raised an eyebrow. He was about to ask something to Sousuke when Shino dragged both of them inside the restaurant. They were greeted by another loud voice, "Welcome you two! Usual place, eh?" Kobungo landed his view on Shino, then stared at Ao who had been smirking. "Well, well, who do we have here? You must be Sousuke's lov-"

"This is Satomi Shino, our neighbor." Sousuke cleared his throat. He glared once again at his snickering twin. "Shino, this is Inuta Kobungo, our friend."

"Hi," greeted Shino. "Can we eat now? I'm super hungry!"

Sousuke laughed. Instead of leading Shino to their usual seat, Sousuke picked a table beside a big window. Ao ordered the same dinner set he usually had while Sousuke helped Shino with the menu. Kobungo and Ao exchanged a look. A moment later, Shino's phone rang.

"Yes, Nii-san? Where? Uhm...Italian restaurant in Shinjuku," Shino answered, "Well, I have no idea where the exact location is. Wait, Ao can help!" The boy handed the smart phone to Ao, saying in excitement, "Nii-san wants to join us but he doesn't know the direction. Can you explain to him?"

Ao smirked again. "Hello, Rio," the man said on the phone, "So, you know Shinjuku's west exit, right?"

.

It would have been really nice if Rio could throw a set of knife at the twins.

When Rio arrived at the restaurant, he saw how cozy Shino and Sousuke were. They sat beside each other with Shino had been trying to steal Sousuke's shrimp but the man had lift the plate up just before Shino could touch his food. Okay, they were not cozy. They were too cozy. And why on earth they had to sit that close? Ao, who was sitting opposite to Sousuke laughed at the boy's failed attempt. Shino pouted and said something about how hungry he was.

"Good evening, Sir." A polite greeting from a waiter startled the blonde. "Could we help you? Or did you already make reservation?"

"I'm good, thank you." Without even looking at the waiter, Rio went directly to Shino's table. Ao was the one who noticed him first-and the man dared to show his trademark smirk-followed by Sousuke. His own little brother was stuffing his mouth with pasta and pizza. "Shino," Rio finally called.

The boy looked up. "Hi, there Nii-san!"

Rio nodded. "I didn't know you have dinner plan with..." Rio glanced at the twins. "...them."

Shino shrugged. "Well, we weren't planning but suddenly Ao told me about this restaurant. Here, Nii-san! Try my pasta!"

Rio twitched at the fork full by pasta. He reluctantly leaned over the table and let Shino fed him. Shino was too eager to know Rio's reaction that he didn't realize the restaurant was filled with other customers. They were literally blushing at Shino and Rio's sweet gesture. The women at bar stools giggled, whispering at each other.

"So..." Ao spoke up a moment later. "Dinner, Rio?"

"Yes." He took an empty seat beside Ao then waved at the waiter.

However, instead of waiter, Kobungo approached their table. "Hello, there. Are you Sousuke and Ao's friend too?" he asked.

Rio was about to answer when Ao cut-in, "It's the sister in law."

The atmosphere went very silent. Sousuke almost dropped his fork. Kobungo was frozen on his place. Noticing everybody's odd expression, Shino asked obliviously, "Do I have something on my face?"

.

.

tbc


	13. Chapter 13 : Amusing, Indeed

Chapter 13 : Amusing, Indeed

Kobungo did not blink. He was bewildered and amused on the same time. Sousuke practically tried to gather his composure by eating his pasta slowly. He glanced at Rio who was taken aback by Ao's mischievous comment. Shino looked at those people around him with slight confusion, still thinking there was something funny on his petite face. Kobungo really wished he had had his video camera to record the current event.

Sousuke kicked Ao's leg under the table. "What?" Ao grimaced, glaring in return.

"Your pasta is getting cold," said Sousuke in a very calm face.

The man's voice seemed to snap their head back to reality. Kobungo hurriedly handed Rio the menu and recommend him a dinner set, "We have this special set which includes grilled chick-"

"I will have whatever my little brother has," said Rio. He did not even notice when Kobungo walked away from their table. The blonde's eyes were fixed on Ao who currently was sipping his wine. Ao's back was straightened in such elegant manner with his legs crossed under the table. Rio blinked furiously. 'Wait! Why on earth did I pay attention to the way he sit?!'

Ao then shifted his eyes to Shino and Sousuke. "So, guys, how's the modelling been going?"

Shino halted on his move. Still gripping at the fork, he answered, "Well, uhm...it's fine. I think..."

Sousuke nodded in agreement. "Shino has been doing great." He patted Shino's head, unconsciously stroking the silky, purplish strands.

Meanwhile, Rio's eyes twitched furiously. Seriously. If Rio had had a knife, he would have killed Sousuke several times. How dare he openly touched Shino's hair! And...what was being said? Modelling? Rio cleared his throat, "Care to elaborate this modelling thing?"

The question slapped Shino right in his face. He had forgotten to tell Rio about this. "Nii-san, sorry but I completely forgot about it. Actually, Sousuke asked me to be his model."

"Model for what?" Rio twitched again.

"Painting," answered the boy with a beam on his face, "You must see Sousuke's paintings, Nii-san! He can paint both Japanese and Western style ones. Oh, and I'm modelling for his final project. How cool is that?"

Another twitch. "A model for painting?" asked Rio with head slowly turned to Sousuke's direction.

The twins swore they saw crackling fire began emerging around their table. Shino was definitely oblivious with the choking atmosphere. "Yeah. I don't know much about paintings though," Shino continued, "So, I think it's a good oportunity to learn."

Out of the blue, Ao chuckled. "Ah, yes, I see. You've been learning." He threw a mocking smile at his twin. "Sousuke will be teaching you a lot of things indeed." This time, both Rio and Sousuke sent him deadly glare.

A waiter came with Rio's dinner set. He carefully placed the plate and poured red wine into three glasses, saying it's a treat from Kobungo. Sousuke looked up at Kobungo who was standing next to kitchen door. The tall brunette was grinning widely and mouthing 'good luck'.

"Can I try the wine, Nii-san?" Shino asked, reaching the wine glass.

"No," answered Rio sternly, "You are a minor. No alcohol until you reach legal age and don't pout."

Ao smirked. "Yup, he is still a minor." He gave a look to his brother, which of course earned him another kick on leg.

Rio did not understand why everything had gone into this complete mess. He could not believe Sousuke had convinced his cute, innocent little brother to be a model. Model! Gods knew how Sousuke would secretly plan a very dirty move to win Shino's heart. Shino was still sixteen years old, for god sake! No, Shino was too young for this. Imagine a high school freshman dating a twenty-two year old man... Rio growled inwardly at the word 'dating'. No, just no.

After quietly watching the whole situation, Kobungo decided to greet his four customers. "Hello again, guys!" He grinned. "So Shino, do you like the food?"

The youngest among them nodded happily. "I love it! There are so many Italian restaurant in Tokyo but only some have great menu. Have you been to Italia before?"

Kobungo laughed. He had not expected Shino's honest answer. "Yes, twice but only for vacation. I studied in Switzerland for two years."

"Wow!"

The conversation went on. Kobungo grabbed a chair from next table and put it deliberately beside Shino's. His back relaxed against the wooden material as he listened to Shino's culinary adventure in Italy. It turned out that the boy had also visited the country during cruise vacation with his family. While Kobungo and Shino was having such lively conversation, Rio ate his dinner in very graceful manner-or so Ao thought. Contrary to Shino's carefree way, Rio seemed to be trained carefully in table manner. As expected from politician's first son...

Rio twitched, noticing how Ao's eyes were practically following his hand movement. "Is there something you want to say?" asked the blonde.

Ao replied with a smirk, "No."

The younger man continued eating. It was better for him to avoid any conversation with Ao. He still could not believe how Ao had called him 'sister in law'. Arrogant bastard. If Shino had not been there, Rio would have stuffed all of those pasta into Ao's mouth. What a pain.

"You are such a funny boy, Shino!" Kobungo's voice brought back Ao and Rio's attention to the rest of occupants at their table. They found Kobungo was ruffling Shino's hair. "Well, since you are here, you gotta check out our kitchen! Wanna try to prepare a desert?"

"Sure!" Shino jumped from his seat and looked at his big brother. When Rio gave him a slight albeit reluctant nod, Shino happily skipped beside Kobungo to the kitchen.

Ao smirked at such childishness. With Shino's cheerful yet innocent character, no wonder Rio had developed a very bad brother complex. Suddenly, their table shook and Sousuke-who had been so silent-abruptly stood up. The older twin was throwing a killing aura at Kobungo's back. "Please excuse me," he said, half-snarling. He left the table to follow Shino and Kobungo. Ao swore Kobungo would be a dead man if he could not stop ruffling and patting Shino's head.

It looked like Shino had successfully brought Sousuke's immature side. Ao could not wait to see what would happen next. Well, for now, he simply prayed that Kobungo was smart enough to notice Sousuke's...errr jealousy. Ew, sounded so corny. Distracting himself from those thoughts, Ao glimpsed again at Rio.

"You didn't twitch," Ao stated.

Rio lowered his hand, placing the fork on the plate. He tried not to look annoyed but his voice was still higher than usual, "Pardon?"

"You did not twitch when Shino went with Kobungo."

"And?"

"But you twitch a lot every time Shino is with my brother. Don't you know too much twitching can make your face muscle sore? Ah, never mind... I quite enjoy it, though."

"Enjoy?"

"Look! Another twitch." Ao grinned as he pointed at Rio's face. "Gosh, I should have counted those! I bet you twitch as much as an old man who-" His sentence was cut by a vibrate coming from his jacket pocket. Ao took out his smart phone, finding two e-mails on his inbox. "I think I should make a call," Ao said, "Wait a sec, 'kay?"

'As if I would.' Rio mumbled inaudibly. Ao gave him another smirk and walked outside the restaurant. From the window, Rio watched Ao talked on his phone. He could not see the tall man's facial expression. Ao's back was facing Rio all the time. Rio moaned. 'Great, what am I doing? Wasting my time by staring at him?'

Ao spent around fifteen minutes on the phone, long enough for Shino and Sousuke to return to their table. Kobungo was nowhere in sight. Perhaps the man was busy supervising his employees in kitchen. Shino looked very content when he placed a plate of crepes on the table. He explained how he had made the crepes from scratch. Kobungo also had taught the boy how to made fresh cream. When Shino said that Sousuke was also very good in making crepes, Rio could not help but twitch.

"Huh? Where is Ao?" asked Shino, looking around.

"He's making phone call." Rio answered, gesturing at the window but he could not find Ao anymore. It turned out that Ao had headed back inside.

Ao grinned at his twin and Shino. "Hi, guys. Back already? Too bad I need to go now. My friend invited me to his birthday party. So..." He rolled his eyes, landing his view on Rio's annoyed expression. "Guess I'll see you soon?"

Shino nodded while Rio let a small 'hmmph'.

"Be careful on the way," said Sousuke, "Don't drink too much."

Ao smirked. He waved at the three of them and opened the restaurant door. He walked about two blocks away before turned at a narrow alley. He leaned his back against cold wall, feeling the night air caressing his face. At a time like this, he had an urge to smoke-too bad he did not have any cigarette now. He groaned inwardly when another e-mail come in. Why those people could not do such a simple task? He muttered under his breath. Feeling impatient, Ao decided to make another phone call.

"Daikaku, send a car," he said, "Let's finish it tonight."

.

As a chef, Kobungo valued his hands very much. So, when Sousuke threatened him with a pair of knifes, Kobungo unconsciously shielded his hands first. Damn Ao for not telling him how Sousuke had completely fallen for Shino! In kitchen, Kobungo had only put his hand on Shino's shoulder for seconds and suddenly Sousuke had taken a stand behind his back. With knifes. On both hands.

Lesson learnt: no touching Shino in front of Sousuke so openly.

When Sousuke and his two neighbors excused themselves for tonight, Kobungo felt relieved. To think about it, Kobungo had never seen Sousuke put such interest in someone before. Sure, Sousuke had dated several girls but their relationship ended so quickly. And...now a boy had suddenly stolen Sousuke's attention out of the blue. Amusing, indeed.

After sending off his friends, Kobungo went back inside and sighed. He wondered whether he could get his significant other soon. It would be very nice if he could date a beautiful young woman. He prefered long, light brown-haired one with the same eye color. Yes, yes, that would work perfectly.

Kobungo scanned through his restaurant. Most of the seats were occupied. His staff looked so busy with flowing orders. Suddenly Kobungo's eyes caught a slim figure who was sitting at a table near the bar. There, a light brown-haired woman was enjoying her meal with another woman. Kobungo's heartbeat became louder. So loud that he thought his heart would jump out in instant. The man took hesitant steps. He was getting closer and closer to the woman. Yes, he knew it! The pretty woman was his-

"Boss, emergency!" A waiter grabbed his arms and dragged him toward kitchen door, "The oven stopped working!"

Kobungo gasped, his hands were flailing. "B-but wait dammit!" He cried while took a glance at the long haired beauty. Oh, he absolutely had to get some information about that woman. Maybe after the oven was fixed, he would make some dessert for her.

After tinkering which included door-banging because the oven was really an old one, Kobungo made a special Japanese cheesecake for that woman-but not to be rude he also made one for her companion too. He didn't know why but he thought that she possessed a traditional beauty, kind of like a geisha or traditional art performer. He smiled at the thoughts. 'Okay, this need to be done correctly so Ma won't pester me again for being single.'

With two plates of cheesecake in hands, Kobungo made a way to the table-which earned him glances from his staff because it was a rare occasion for the owner to deliver the food himself if not for special guests and they didn't know such guest was having a reservation today-with an ear splitting smile...

... to find the table was empty.

.

.

tbc

*the chapter is longer than usual! (gasps) ...and thank you for wonderful reviews!


	14. Chapter 14 : Denial

Chapter 14 : Denial

A small schedule book was a thing that Inue Shinobu always carried every day. At night, right after he had finished studying, the boy made a to-do list ranging from his school task to house chores. Being a student council secretary and calligraphy club president had taught him how to arrange hectic schedule. Today, his schedule book was also filled with markers. However, Shinobu always let his lunch time open purposely for something like...

"A-and we kissed."

...this.

Shino was sitting beside him on their usual wooden bench. According to today's weather forecast, the weather would be a little bit warmer and the wind would get stronger around noon. Since the sakura season was almost over, those boring-yet important-weather forecast had ended up with a reminder for all Japanese to enjoy the beauty of sakura until its last. Anyway... Shinobu kicked the image of the weatherman out of his head then continued listening to Shino's story.

"I was the one who kissed him first, actually," Shino said with a very crimson face, "When Sousuke kissed me back, I...uhm I felt...happy. I had no idea Sousuke's been feeling the same way. So, I guess...yeah." The first year student smiled sheepishly.

Shinobu chuckled at Shino's embarrassed state. "That's wonderful! See, I've been right! You fell for him" Shinobu grinned as he playfully poked Shino's ribs. "So, he's your boyfriend now?"

At the word 'boyfriend', Shino felt as if he had steam explosion going on top of his head. "Uhm...I think so..."

The older boy raised an eyebrow, noticing that Shino had been a little bit nervous. "What is it, Shino? Is something bothering you?" asked Shinobu. He knew Sousuke was Shino's first lover ever. These whole experiences were probably too much for the boy, even though Shinobu was sure Shino could handle it just fine.

"I haven't told Nii-san about it," replied Shino, sighing. His fingers absentmindedly toyed with the lunch box's wrapping cloth.

Shinobu blinked. Uh-oh. He had forgotten the fact that Satomi Rio a.k.a the beautiful mother hen big brother was one of the reason why nobody could make a move on Shino in the past. In middle school, Shinobu had known some girls and boys who liked Shino then tried to flirt with him-welcome puberty! However, as soon as Rio realized his little brother had somewhat become quite popular among those teenagers, the blonde scared them off by sending his signature deadly glare and cold words. Rio would not care if he made someone cried because of it. Shinobu had been wondering whether Shino noticed Rio's extreme brother complex at all.

Pretending to ignore the fact, Shinobu smiled and put his arm around Shino's shoulder. "Don't worry, Shino. Your brother will be glad to know that you got a boyfriend."

Shino smiled back. "Yeah, I think so too. Let's hope he won't go into a shock state when he learn that I'm dating our neighbor."

'Gosh, Shino, you are only one step away from World Word III' was a sentence which almost slipped from Shinobu's tongue. Lucky for him, a bunch of girls who just happened to pass by suddenly squealed at them, saying something like 'look, Mr. Cute Secretary is so lovey dovey with the Satomi boy' thing. Shinobu grinned. Sometimes being popular was not really bad...

.

Kaname was drinking his black coffee at the cafe in front of center library as the bell for lunch break rang. Today he had only one class on the first period. It was so boring that he had fallen asleep in just ten minutes. So much for getting up early in the morning, he thought. Contrary to his carefree personality, Kaname had been a top student since first year and the head of International Relations Junior Researchers Assosiation for Tokyo region. He had attended some national and international seminars with famous politicians, including his own dad and uncle, Akimitsu.

The young man flipped over pages of latest famous men fashion magazine pages. Recently, his mom had been so aggresive to invade men fashion market, so it was easy to spot her brand on magazines. Kaname snickered when he remembered how his mom, supported by Himeko, had forced him and Rio to pose half-naked for her latest brand. Thank gods her husband was sane enough to prevent such exploitation on their son and nephew. Much to the Inuzuka sisters' disappointment, they had decided to hire other models. Kaname then imagined what would have happened if Rio had posed half-naked at that time. The girls might be swarming more around him like crazy.

Speaking about girls... Kaname had been wondering enough why Rio had not gotten any girlfriend yet. His cousin hadn't had any date yet for twenty one years, which meant he never had experienced the feeling of falling in love. Hmph, too bad. Kaname grabbed his iPod, hitting the shuffle button.

Kaname began humming along, "Falling down otagai no yokubou de..."

He did not notice another blonde was walking inside the cafe.

"Risei no shatsu chirakasu night and day. Mou modorenai to shitteru kuse ni..."

"Kaname."

"...tell me why mada tamerai kakushiteruuu."

"Kaname, if you ignore me-"

"I hid my porn inside safety box," Kaname cut-in, still scanning through his magazine, "It has voice recognizer, even mom can't open it."

With exasperated sigh, Rio finally sat down.

"Weeell..." Kaname put away his magazine. "What's up, my dear cousin?"

"Can't I just peacefully greet and join you for coffee?" Rio snarled.

Kaname laughed. Turning his iPod off, he replied, "There are only two reason why you join me for coffee. One, you have finished all your class assignments and tasks from professor so you get really, really bored then suddenly realized you missed having heart to heart conversation with me. Two, you had a bad day and got irritated, annoyed, angered-or whatever you name it-so much that you needed someone to talk to and-again-finally realized that you have no one to talk to exceeept...voila! Me!"

Rio scowled inwardly at his idiotic cousin.

The other blonde ignored him then continued, "...which the first reason would only happen in my sweet dream. Therefore, the second reason seems adequate for current situation."

For a moment, Rio stayed silent. He had his arms crossed as well as eyes fixed on the table's smooth surface. He had not bothered to order a cup of coffee at counter. "I just happened to see you sitting here," Rio spoke up, "and I have some time until my next class."

"Oh, then?" Kaname raised an eyebrow. His maternal cousin could be very complicated but very easy to read on the same time. Rio obviously had been lying. "Hei, Rio, let me ask you something, okay?"

Rio nodded.

"Are you sexually deprived?"

Two people who sat at the next table spurted their coffee and stared at the two young men in horror. Rio threw a you-are-so-dead-now glare at his cousin. Without any hesitation, the law student dragged Kaname outside. Kaname had no time to retrieve his belongings because Rio had a dead grip at his arm.

"I am not sexually deprived," Rio states after he had closed the glass door behind him, "and you are going to stop asking about my sex life."

"Yeah, as if you had one, cousin," said Kaname in calm tone, "What's wrong with you, Rio? Seriously. You are more...nagging than usual. No, it is about Shino and that Sousuke guy again, isn't it? Honestly, can you just be happy for your little brother who finally found a romantic interest like any normal boy?"

Rio twitched. Happy? Yes, he of couse was happy that Shino could have a normal teenager experience. Wait. Why would he be happy if Shino had interest with a man much older than him? That was absolutely wrong. He could not stand seeing the twins. Most of all, he could not stand seeing Ao's mocking smirk. Wait. Wait. Wait. What on earth was he thinking? Why did Ao's face suddenly pop on his mind?!

"Oi, Rio, are you listening?" Kaname waved his hand in front of Rio's nose. "Geez, don't space out in the middle of conversation! Have you found out what exactly-"

"Ao."

Kaname furrowed. "Huh?"

"It's Ao's fault," Rio blurted out, "He is an arrogant and good for nothing bastard. He won't leave me alone, ruining my perfectly harmonious life with his annoying smirk. He called me 'sister in law'. He wished he had counted my twitches. Twitch. What the hell."

Kaname's mouth shaped a small O. He was puzzled because of his cousin's sudden bluntness. He knew Rio had been always straight forward in his opinion but refering someone as 'good for nothing bastard' had not been on Rio's dictionary. Moreover... What's with that 'what the hell'? Kaname was pretty sure the world would come to an end by tomorrow morning.

"Close your mouth, Kaname," said Rio, somehow had managed to gain his composure.

"Uhm...well..." Now, Kaname was speechless.

Rio put a poker face. "Speak clearly."

Damn. How could Rio switch from being oddly irritated to that poker face so fast?! Kaname then cleared his throat. "After listening to your...hmm interesting explanation, I've concluded that you..." Kaname pointed at his cousin. "...actually have more problem with Ao rather than Sousuke himself."

"I have no problem with Ao," Rio disagreed.

"But you just complained about him." Kaname shook his head. This was getting ridiculous, he thought. "If you had no problem with him, you would not have complained to me."

"I did not complain. I was marely stating a fact."

"Denial, denial, denial... Rio, you need to find a date," his cousin groaned.

"Don't you start-"

Kaname clapped his hands out of the blue. "Okay, let's stop here. I just remembered that I need to call someone. See you around and say 'hi' to Shino. I probably gonna drop by at your house next weekend." He stepped inside, leaving Rio all alone in front of cafe. The young man got back on his seat. Sipping the black coffee, he watched Rio slowly walked toward the library building. Kaname snorted then took out his smart phone.

"Hello, Hamaji. It's me. What are you doing now? Ah, I see..." The blonde looked as if he was contemplating for a moment. "Say, do you have any plan for Golden Week?"

.

Kobungo sat on one of the stools, his head laying on the bar. A glass of premium quality sake had been left untouched. On his right, Sousuke was reading a mystery novel. He had been listening to all Kobungo's whining since two hours ago. It was a good thing that the bar had not been opened yet or Kobungo's sorrow might have drove the customers off. Ao joined them five minutes later with creased brow.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A Mr. Broken Heart?" The younger twin guessed, and was replied by a firm nod from Sousuke. Ao took a bottle of Smirnoff from the bar shelf, pouring himself a drink. "If I'm not mistaken, you weren't seeing someone."

"I was not," said Kobungo in despair, "It was love at first sight but now she's gone."

Okay, that did not make any sense. "Dude, are you sure your head is fine?" asked Ao again, "How much did you drink?"

"He hasn't touched his glass yet," answered Sousuke, "since two hours ago."

Oh, well, literally drunk in sorrow. Ao sipped his Smirnoff then asked in forced cheerful tone, "Well, man won't be a man if he never experience broken heart."

Kobungo groaned. "You don't understand, Ao! Man, it was just a close call to get to know the girl and suddenly she just disappeared like a smoke. Like a smoke! You gotta see her beautiful silky light brown hair... Gosh, she's what you call a traditional beauty."

Ao and Sousuke exchanged a look when a dark-haired woman came from the staff room. "I thought I heard familiar noise," she said, "So you three are here, no wonder."

Lifting his head from the bar, Kobungo managed to greet, "Good evening, Kokonoe-san. It's been a wh- YOU!" The brunette pointed at someone who stood behind the lady. His jaws dropped and he practically jumped from his seat. Grabbing the said person's hands, he smiled in fascination, "I know it's you."

Kokonoe blinked then glanced at the twins who somehow seemed as confused as her. "Asakeno," Kokonoe broke the awkward atmosphere, "do you by any chance know this gentleman?"

The long-haired beauty just shook her head with a confused face while Kobungo was still smiling brightly.

.

.

tbc

*Kaname was singing Matsushita Yuya's 'Agitation' from his first album 'I am Me' ...oh yes, another longer chapter


	15. Chapter 15 : Intermezzo

Chapter 15 : Intermezzo

Sousuke, Ao, and Kobungo had attended the same middle and high school together. Even though Kobungo's family could have spent a large amount of money on the best private school for their only heir's education, his parents had decided to enroll Kobungo in public school-highly believed that public school would more likely shape down-to-earth attitude to their kid. Kobungo had been more than happy to learn the twins would be his schoolmates, which also turned out to be classmates for six years.

During their teenage years, Sousuke and Ao had been quite famous in school. Sousuke had been the president of art club, actively involved in city's festivals. Ao joined kendo club and taken part in interhigh. While it had come to girls...well, they had gotten themselves fair share of fangirls. Ao had started dating on his first year in middle school-much to the twins' mother's aren't-you-too-young complain. In the other hand, Sousuke had seemed to have no interest in dating. He would have make excuses such as how busy he had been and so on. Both Ao and Kobungo had tried to set him on date but the plan had always failed. Then, when Sousuke had gotten the very first girlfriend in high school, Kobungo had cooked some red rice for celebration.

For Kobungo himself, dating had come by nature. He had two girlfriends in middle school and three during high school. Each relationship had lasted about seven month to one year. As a teenager, Kobungo had been dumped-checked!-but also he had dumped his girlfriend-checked!-which had earned him a slap. Moreover, he had been cheated on-uh oh, checked!-to the point he had cried in front of the twins, saying he would not fall in love again. Two months after the cheating thing, Kobungo had confessed to a junior. Ah, youth...

If there was a word to describe Kobungo's character, Sousuke and Ao would have said, "Romantic."

As a matter of fact, Kobungo believed in 'soulmate'.

Yup.

Therefore, when the twins saw Kobungo jumped from his seat and grasped the long-haired stranger's hands, they made a silent bet whether Kobungo would win the stranger's heart or not. However, the problem was...well, Kobungo had missed one little detail about the stranger. Ao threw his twin a look, gesturing at Kobungo who had already had dreamy eyes in front of the stranger. Sousuke had interpreted the dreamy look as oh-my-gods-you-are-my-soulmate.

The older twin cleared his throat. "Kokonoe, may you introduce..."

"Oh yes," said the lady, Kokonoe, while trying so hard not to stare at Kobungo's hands, "Boys, this is Asakeno who now lives temporary at my place. Asakeno, they are my best friend's son, Inukawa Sousuke and Ao. Then, this gentleman here-"

"Inuta Kobungo!" the tall brunette cut-in, "Would you like to have a drink with me, milady?"

The twins and Kokonoe stared in disbelief. Asakeno raised an eyebrow then narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Milady?"

Ao and Sousuke gasped as they heard Asakeno's low, growling voice.

"I wonder what a pretty lady like you is doing here. Are you Kokonoe-san's acquiantance?" asked Kobungo again, ignoring Asakeno's narrowed eyes, "Or are you a regular in this bar? If that's the case, I would love to..."

"Kobungo, I think you should..." Sousuke tried to seperate his friend from Asakeno but went into futile attempt, defeated by Kobungo's dreamy sparkling puppy eyes. Behind him, Ao began to snicker while Kokonoe only shook her head.

"...recommend some great drinks you won't want to miss." Kobungo continued talking to Asakeno. He gripped tighter at those slender hands. "So, uhm, would you mind if I-"

Asakeno raised a hand then sighed, putting Kobungo's hands into a very flat chest. In five second, Ao was laughing so loud that Sousuke had to jab on his ribs to make him shut up. Kobungo's mouth was moving like a gold fish, his face turned white as a reality set in. With a calm face, Asakeno said to the brunette, "I'm a man, you know."

.

Shino rolled on couch, kicking his legs into the air and laughing to his heart's content. Sousuke who was sitting down on wooden chair could not help but smile. He had told Shino about what had happened yesterday at the bar. It had turned out-really, even tough Asakeno was really pretty, how come Kobungo had not realize-that Asakeno was a hundred percent man. Appearantly, Asakeno had been living with Kokonoe since three months ago and sometimes helped the woman at bar. He mainly worked at the back room, no wonder Sousuke had never seen him before.

"So, your late mother owned a bar?" Shino asked after he got exhausted from laughing. He was laying on the couch at the moment.

Sousuke nodded as he continued sketching Shino. He carefully drew thin, smooth lines for Shino's small face. He loved drawing Shino's face, adding little details here and there. Shino had Himeko's face but inherited his father's hair and skin color-what a perfect combination between Satomi and Inuzuka's bloodline. Another pleasure was Sousuke could stare at Shino's body as long as possible, trailing every curve and line to make the boy alive on his sketch. Sousuke groaned inwardly when Shino shifted. The boy dropped one leg, leaving it hanging limpy on his side. A small part of his belly was revealed as Shino stretched his hands above his head making the t-shirt pulled up a little. Shino looked...angelic. Oh my gods, that sounded so corny!

He had not told anything abou his relationship with Shino to Ao. Actually, he had no idea how the young man would react. It was really obvious that Ao liked teasing him but Sousuke was not quite sure how Ao would manage accepting a fact his brother dated a minor.

"Sousuke!" Shino called, startling his lover, "Are you okay?"

In just three second, Sousuke collected his composure. "Yes, I was thinking for a while. Did you say something, Shino?"

The boy sighed. "I was asking what's for dinner."

"What do you want to eat?" Sousuke asked with a smile. "Last time we had beef gratin with vegetable soup. Shall we make tonkatsu tonight? Chocolate mousse for dessert?"

"You're the best, Sou!" Shino jumped on the couch. "Oh, should we call Ao to join us too?"

Sousuke shook his head. "No need. This morning he said he'll be back very late due to club activity." He put down the sketching book and sketching on table then moved to sit beside Shino. The younger one automatically scooted closer, his shoulder touching Sousuke's. Naturally, Shino was very expressive and openly showed his affection in front of Sousuke although the purplish-haired boy still looked awkward dealing with their new relationship. At a time like this, Sousuke knew he needed to make the first move. Therefore, he lifted Shino's body and placed him on his lap. "What is it, Shino?" Sousuke hummed, nuzzling into Shino's nape.

"Uhm..." Shino leaned against Sousuke's broad chest. "Uhm...we haven't kissed today."

"Oh," was only answer from Sousuke.

Shino nodded in embarrassment. He had his cheeks flushed and suddenly found himself counting scratches on wooden floor. A hand was placed on his cheek making Shino looked over his shoulder. Sousuke was smiling and gradually leading Shino's lips onto his. The kiss was slow and sweet. Sousuke patiently waited until Shino adjusted his position then with no rush his right hand sneaked under Shino's waistband. The boy yelped in surprise but Sousuke distracted him again with nibble on ear. Shino moaned in pleasure, unconsciously spreading his legs wider. Sousuke proceed to remove Shino's t-shirt then tossed it carelessly onto the floor.

"Sou...oh!" Shino went almost rigid as he felt Sousuke's own arousal between his inner thighs. Juat before Shino could make more sound, Sousuke grabbed his arms then made him turn back. Shino's face was pressed tightly on the man's chest. He heard a fly was being unzipped, immediately knew what would happen next-his body was shivering in anticipation. However, he was not ready when Sousuke guided his hand to touch a much bigger half-hard cock. The boy looked down and saw his and Sousuke's cocks. "Sou...suke, this...," Shino stuttered, "W-what..."

"Grab my cock, Shino," whispered Sousuke, "Yes, like that. Add more pressure on your fingers. Now...stroke it."

What? Stroke? How in earth did he suppose to stroke? Like...stroking Murasame's head? Well, certainly that thing down there also had...err, head. Noticing Shino had been lost in his own world, Sousuke could not help but chuckle. The boy was so pure and innocent, to the point where Sousuke was afraid he would break him. Since when had Shino been an important part of his life, Sousuke wondered.

"I think it's too fast for you, Shino," said Sousuke again. He gently kissed Shino's nose. "Let me do it."

The next thing he and Sousuke could hear was mixed sound of whimper and moan. Sousuke covered Shino's finger with his, stroking up and down in erratic yet somewhat steady rhythm. Shino let a loud moan every time he griped on Sousuke's cock. As the stroking became faster, Shino threw his head and arched. Shino's scream was like a beautiful song on Sousuke's ears. White cum covered both his and Shino's chest.

What left after the quick hand job was their spent bodies on couch. Sousuke had Shino laid on top of him. Shino closed his eyes, trembling slightly due to the skin contact. His older boyfriend had also removed his dirty shirt too, leaving his chest naked. Shino purred, "Wanna take a bath..."

Sousuke smiled in return and kissed Shino's purplish locks. "Just wait here, I'll run the wa-"

"Sousukeeeee, are you hooome?!"

The two lovers were stiff. Shino practicaly jumped out of Sousuke's chest then grabbed his t-shirt. Sousuke kicked his dirty shirt under the couch, did not even think if his guest would find him half-naked. The man was about to make a way out when the studio's door were slid open revealing a wavy red-haired girl.

"Hello, Hamaji," greeted Sousuke with forced polite tone.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing half-naked?"

"Well, I-"

"Could you zip your fly, Sousuke?" Hamaji looked over the man's shoulder, smiling brightly. "Oh, what do we have here! You must be Shino-chan!" Ignoring Sousuke's presence, she approached the coach and took a seat. Her eyes stared at the boy as if she would eat him alive. "Hi, my name is Hamaji! Nice to meet you."

Shino could not help but back off a little. "Uhm...hello," he replied. His mind recalled the girl as the one he had seen at the Inukawa's garden two weeks ago. The very girl who had been standing too close to Sousuke.

"Shino," Sousuke said, "this is my childhood friend, Hamaji. By the way, what are you doing here?"

Hamaji scowled, "I'm visiting your house, of course, after long day in campus. Besides, I want to ask something."

"Ask what?"

"Do you two have any plan for Golden Week?" asked Hamaji. She saw Sousuke and Shino exchanged look then shook their head in unison. The girl grinned. "Well, then, why don't you two come with me to Kaname's villa?"

Shino frowned at his cousin's name. He had no idea how Hamaji and Kaname were related. As long as he remembered, the Osaki did own several vacation house in Japan and abroad. "I don't know yet," said Shino, "I need to ask my parents whether they already got some plan or not."

"Okay, then so far it's only me and Kaname."

Sousuke furrowed his brow. "What? Only two of you?" Sousuke asked and Hamaji repelied with a firm nod. That was no way Sousuke would let Hamaji went to a week vacation with only a young man. Who knew what Kaname was plotting. It was not that he did not like Kaname, it was just... He and Hamaji were like a family. She was his little sister and as a good brother he would not let this kind of situation go so easily. "Count me and Shino in," Sousuke hurriedly continued, "I'll ask Ao later this night."

.

Next morning, during their breakfast, Himeko was delighted when he heard Shino's plan on vacation with Kaname. However, when Shino said Sousuke would join them too, Rio suddenly looked up from his Time Magazine. Akimitsu swore he could see a dark aura surrounding his eldest son but pretended to be busy with his morning newspaper. Rio almost slapped his palm onto the dining table if his parent were not there. This vacation thing was...downright suspicious, especially with those kind of group.

"This is wonderful," Himeko said in sing sang voice, "Rio-chan, you should take a break from study and go with them too! Right, Murasame?"

The black bird who was perching on her shoulder cocked his head. "Shino go! Murasame go go!"

Rio frowned. He was not a big fan of Golden Week, anyway. "What about Ao?" asked the blonde much to his own surprise. Why did he even care about the arrogant man?!

"Sousuke texted me last night saying Ao can't come because he has things to do in campus," his little brother replied, munching the french toast, "Too bad thou-"

"I'll go," Rio cut-in. He would not let Shino get corrupted by Kaname and Sousuke for a week. Taking a vacation away from Tokyo would not hurt either. Besides, he could bring his law books and journal articles along. And, more importantly, Ao would not be there. Right?

Right.

.

.

tbc


End file.
